


Eden

by Kaoz



Series: Phade [8]
Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-09
Updated: 2007-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-19 10:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoz/pseuds/Kaoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>#6  Sometimes things aren't what they seem. Problem is you don't know until it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It didn't take long to get my stuff from the Motel, there wasn't that much. The whole time I was packing their words kept echoing in my head. Who was I? _What_ was I? Why was I even there? There was only one answer, one thing I could say; I don't know.

Not for the first time did I wish Xyne had been able to say more. Wished I'd been able to hear her completely.

The Od VaiLumin. I'd looked them up or tried to at least but there was no mention of them anywhere not even on the internet. I found nothing in Wesley's books and I peeked in Rupert's tomes as well. It was frustrating to say the least, more so because it felt as if I _knew._ The knowledge of what they were and why was in my head, somewhere just out of reach.

There were strongly worded protests as I left the Summer's house. Mayahuel didn't want to stay. She knew no one there besides Sabine and the things she'd seen so far frightened her. She'd lost all of her family except Temoc and he was living with my family. Mayahuel knew this, wasn't about to let the only link to her brother out of her sight and so she left with me. They couldn't keep her anyway. No one had a legal right to the girl.

The ride to LA was quiet except for the purring of the engine which served to soothe me. Glancing over to the dark girl riding beside me, dozing I couldn't help a feeling of déjà vu. It had been almost three years since I'd been driving around like now looking for a place to crash. Like then, the Hyperion loomed in the distance. A white beacon offering a place to rest and my life hadn't been the same since. For better or worse, I was different.

"Ya llegamos." I whispered nudging her shoulder gently. "Mayahuel." She yawned cracking her jaw and wiping at her eyes.

"Temoc?" she looked through the windshield at the unfamiliar Hyperion's garage.

"No," I got out with a tired sigh and reached to the back seat for my duffel. Mayahuel did the same rolling her suitcase towards the entrance. "I live here." I spoke slowly giving her time to hear the words and translate them in her head before I repeated myself in Spanish.

"When I see Temoc?" she asked haltingly. Her face darkened with embarrassment but I smiled encouragement.

"No lo se, soon I hope." She followed me down the hall to the lobby where there was some sort of commotion. I could hear them even this far off and as we finally came to the lobby Angel rushed out the front doors.

"Hey! Whatsa matter can't say hi to a returning-."

"Un demonio!" behind me Mayahuel exclaimed in fright. I glanced at her before looking where her wide eyes were riveted. I was assuming she'd caught sight of Lorne but-.

"What the hell is that?" everyone stood around with different expressions though the most common was surprise. Maybe they thought I wouldn't make it out of the HellMouth…

"Hi." I waved. That seemed to break them out of the silence spell.

"Sweetie! Fancy you coming home just now." Lorne beamed.

"Not much of a homecoming. What's this?" I asked pointing at the gray half moon horned demon standing inside a circle of red sand.

"You mean big and stupid?" Lorne quipped ignoring the glare the gray thing sent his way. He smiled at the girl still hiding behind me. Somehow I always ended up coming home to weirder and weirder stuff so why did this have to surprise me?

"Name's Skip." It grouched. I didn't bother answering it.

"I was gonna go with gross and- yeah pretty much what you said." I looked at Lorne again with a shrug. "Why's Angel in such a hurry?" the silence was overwhelming. Everyone looked at someone else but no one answered my question. Leaving my duffel on the front steps I closed the distance until we stood in a small circle. I realized something bad was happening or maybe it had or was about to.

"He's going to kill the woman he loves-." The gray thing answered just as I was about to repeat myself. I hated its gloating tone and the fact it interrupted me. Demons never told you anything useful, all they wanted was to sow discord and get you all confused which is why I tended not to believe them.

"You wanna shut your trap right now, dim-wit." If he opened his mouth again there wouldn't be another warning. I raised an eyebrow in question but no one denied it then Wes explained how Cordelia had been possessed by something evil, something that was about to give birth to itself. I threw Gunn a glare, hadn't he said the same about me and when I'd replied in kind he hadn't believed I wasn't possessed.

"I knew there was something wrong about it." Wes frowned confused and I realized I'd spoken out loud. Straightening I looked at them not sure how to explain the feeling she'd been giving off. "I felt it- like it was- it's not supposed to _be_."

"Hey," Skip pointed looking belligerent. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" I threw Skip an ominous glare which he ignored.

"You're not part of the plan!" he yelled. "They aint playing fair!"

They?

' _Ooh, he wasn't supposed to say that.'_

The demon knew what I was?

' _He's going to have to pay.'_

He had information I wanted. That's all I needed to focus on, he probably didn't realize how tenacious I am.

"Why aren't I supposed to be here?" I asked moving closer. "Who's not playing fair?

"Od VaiLumin!" he roared up into the ceiling. "Lod rak surtvem VaiLumen!"

My heart beat fast pounding in my chest. I grabbed at Skip wanting to pull the truth out of his gray head, needing to know why I was not meant to be here. Lorne read me; he said I was meant to help, that this is where I was going to do it. The answer to all my questions was here, it was within my grasp.

"No." Wes tugged me back before I could make contact.

"Tell me!" I yelled shaking him off easily but he grabbed on again and then the building shook. Wes lost his balance and pulled me down as well. I went to one knee steadying myself with a hand. I didn't pay attention to anyone else all my focus was on the demon and the information he was keeping from me. Getting up I stumbled forward when the first piece of ceiling plaster fell in front of me. More rained down scattering all over the lobby.

"Shit." I muttered but Skip smiled extremely pleased now that he was able to step out of his confinement.

' _That's why you never use sand.'_

Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. I wanted what he knew.

"Hey stupid." Skip's big one horned head swiveled around until he saw me. I wasn't exactly sure I knew how to work the whole pyro chic thing but I was gonna try it now. Moving fast I used my fists, alive with flames, delivering a rapid set of blows. With one swipe of his arm he threw me across the lobby, the only comfort I had was seeing the scorch marks I'd left him with.

"Asshole!" I growled getting up and wincing at the pain in my side. Ignoring it I rushed to the demon heedless of the falling debris.

"Cuidado!" Mayahuel's warning barely registered and in my haste assumed it was for someone else. A large chunk of plaster smacked into my shoulder, hard enough I heard something snap. A wave of burning agony shot down my left side then another piece fell hitting the sensitive spot between my shoulder blades. As I fell face first to the ground the foggy blanket blackened my vision removing all the pain.

Mayahuel clung to the pillar watching in horror as Phade fell beneath the crumbling ceiling. Large chunks of plaster crashed around her splintering apart but nothing woke her. Not the noise, the sharp reports of the gun or the flying missiles gouging her skin. One last chunk fell on Phade's thigh before rolling off and the earthquake stopped. The loud cracks echoed in the lobby mixing with other noises. Mayahuel realized she was screaming. That was the echo in her head. She panted, watching as the gray demon toppled over and when she was sure it wouldn't rise again she got unsteadily to her feet. Her black eyes took in everything, the damage, the eerie silence, the mess all around them and the people. Phade had brought her here, said she _lived_ here, in this big old house but she hadn't mentioned the people. When her husband had stopped here before she'd only seen the skinny white lady and the bald black man. Now there were two others, one very obviously a green devil, the one that smiled at her.

Assuming this was 'Lorne' then she felt bad not believing Bastían when he had told them those stories. He had called him a friend but…

' _No, no puede ser!'_ she wailed. They couldn't be anything other than evil. All of them, they had to be bad people didn't they?

She needed Phade, needed the woman to wake up and explain this to her. She needed the security of the woman's steady presence, her confident straightforward gaze-.

"Phade!" Mayahuel rushed to her side shouting her name in hopes of waking her. She slid; fell to her knees crying out in pain. Ignoring it she clutched at the fallen woman's shoulder and carefully pushed her fingers to the carotid artery feeling for a pulse like the Hell's Angel's had taught her. Frightened, fearing there would be none Mayahuel sobbed in relief finding one. It flooded through her as the steady beat under her fingers. She slumped over Phade unsure what else to do. No one had told her, no one-. Some one gripped her shoulder and after four days of constant training with Sabine under Phade's watchful eyes Mayahuel reacted instinctively not holding back.

Her hand shot up, fingers clawed then clamped on the offending wrist. Using all her strength Mayahuel twisted yanking at the same time. Her free hand shot forth, fist connecting with soft pliant tissue. Shaking stray hair out of her eyes Mayahuel rose to her full height and stepped over Phade taking a fighting stance.

"Oooh!" the green demon clutched at his face where he sat on the floor. "Ooh…" his eyes were squeezed shut and it looked as if he was really in pain but Mayahuel didn't believe it. Her black eyes locked on the other men; a tall scruffy gringo and a bald black man. They held their hands out glancing warily at her and speaking too fast. Mayahuel shook her head not understanding what they said. The gringo pointed, he jabbed insistently at the floor and she realized he meant Phade.

"No!" with a furious scowl she planted herself firmly in their way.

"She doesn't understand." Fred whispered hoarsely from their left.

"Wha-but-?" Gunn looked back to the girl confused. Something about the girl felt familiar, not like he knew her but maybe he'd seen her somewhere?

"I think she's the girl Ryan took to Sunnydale." Fred rasped and Gunn immediately put the faces together.

"The Potential?" Wes frowned confused as to why the girl wasn't with the others. He wracked his brain for some word to communicate they only meant to help Phade when Gunn rushed forward.

"No-." his warning came too late and Wes watched as she easily knocked him down then bent to deliver a quick punch to his chest. Gunn roared in pain but yanked the girl down as she moved to rise. He managed to pin her with difficulty.

"She'll never believe we meant no harm." Wes snapped as he bent to examine Phade. Turning her gently onto her back Wes checked for a pulse finding it strong. The he checked her limbs for any broken bones. Her left shoulder was dislocated. He would need help to set it back in place. With wary reluctance Gunn let Mayahuel loose scurrying away from her before she could hit him again.

"Maya?" Fred's raspy voice hesitated on the name. Seeing the girl jerk towards her she smiled nervously. "It's ok." She murmured.

"No se despierta. Esta mal!" Maya cried afraid she'd be left alone again. How would she find Temoc? How would she get to him? Even with the phone she had no idea how to let them know where she was. She didn't speak their language, didn't know their ways. Why? Why did those priests kill her family? Why didn't they leave her alone? Why had God punished her? She had always been obedient, always did as she was told, deferred with proper respect to her parents, to her elders…

' _No fue suficiente. Nada fue suficiente.'_ She thought hopelessly.

Phade never flinched, didn't even wake as Wes and Gunn set her shoulder in place.

"What did he mean?" Gunn asked as Wes ran his hands over her legs checking for broken bones. "Skip. He said _they_ weren't playing fair. The she wasn't supposed to be here."

"I'm not sure but she recognized the name. Od VaiLumin." He looked up at Lorne who wiggled his nose flinching. "You said she's not a champion for the Powers That Be. Can we assume-."

"These Od VaiLumin are the ones pulling her strings?" Lorne shrugged. "Cant say yay or nay." He sniffed again wincing at the pain.

"Nothing is broken." Wes declared gently dabbing at the cut on her forehead. "She never gets a simple 'Welcome Home'."

Lorne shook his head sadly agreeing with Wesley's observation.

"She's just lucky that way." Gunn murmured.

Sound tuned in then out cutting conversations in half, making the soundless moments interminable. I knew what happened, knew where I was and even remembered Wes telling me how Cordelia was about to pop out an evil baby and that Angel had gone to make sure it didn't happen.

' _He'll fail…'_ this time I didn't feel like arguing so I just let the comment slide. Besides, I wasn't sure Angel would succeed either.

Lights flashed bright when I cracked my eyes open. They were blinding piercing up into my brain like lasers. I groaned turning over but it didn't help, not by much. The movement sent fiery waves down my left side. It was so bad my breath caught in my throat until I forced myself to sit up.

' _Bad idea.'_ The taunting wasn't as bad as the gut wrenching nausea that threatened to empty out my tummy. I don't think I have much by way of food stored in there but I refused to let what there was out. Slowly, feeling like an old crone I managed to get my feet on the floor. A rolling wave of pain rose up my leg. It felt like someone was jabbing my thigh with a hot poker. I hunched over curling into myself as I gasped, the pain took my voice, holding it prisoner in my chest and I almost fell over. My shoulders burned, I was in serious pain. Worse than the Beast had managed to cause or maybe it was the same, I couldn't tell the difference. Pain is pain.

The only thought I could manage, the one thing I focused on was getting into my tub. I _needed_ to get in there and heal.

Now.

My body hurt but I forced myself to ignore it and moved past the engraved bed post around the foot of the bed and towards my bathroom. The pain worsened and another wave of nausea rose up my throat. Forcibly shoving it down I kept going, kept moving. The door loomed further away than before. My vision stretched out like a tunnel narrowing to one spot. My goal.

Wes knocked perfunctorily on the door, waited a few seconds and then went in. The door closed behind him softly and as he entered the living room he found Maya standing uneasily by the bedroom door. He smiled gently moving slowly so as not to frighten her.

"Phade?" he pointed to the door then; "Ok? Errm- Bien?"

Maya frowned understanding what he meant. She shook her head. "No se." she shrugged.

"Well." Wes sighed and stepping past her opened the bedroom. Inside it was dark; the curtains were drawn though the faint glow of the late morning sun shone on the copper and cream drapes.

"Phade?" he called flicking on the lights. Seeing the empty bed Wes hurried inside looking around but he didn't find her. She hadn't fallen, there was no body anywhere on the mahogany wood floor nor was she in her bedroom.

A strange cough floated out of the bathroom.

"Phade?" Wes called louder moving to the closed door. The only answer was another strangled sound that made him wince. She couldn't possibly be…? But the next strangled heave confirmed what he thought.

 _"Go Away."_ Her muffled voice sounded weak and tired.

"Are you un-well?" he rolled his eyes at the stupid question and as answer heard another heave.

 _"Does it sound like I'm anything but?"_ she retorted with some heat. He could practically see her scowling through the door.

"Err-no." Wes waited a few minutes moving to open the curtains. The retching subsided and then another minute passed before the door opened. Phade stepped out obviously unsteady on her feet. He noticed the cut on her forehead was gone, she'd healed herself.

"What?" Phade growled. Wes raised questioning eyebrows at her tone. She was clearly in a bad mood. His face brightened knowing exactly how to make her feel better. After all, if his guilt and the unworthiness, the feelings of betrayal and hurt had been lifted from him- well, it's why he'd come to get her in the first place.

"Come with me." he smiled.

"Are you nuts?" Phade scowled walking past him. "I'm not dressed." She motioned to the white tank and black boy shorts she'd thrown on after her 'bath'.

Phade didn't understand why she _still_ felt awful. Her body still ached though the burning pain was gone. She felt nauseous and the dimmest of light hurt her eyes not to mention provoked a headache.

"Sierra la cortina." She ordered Mayahuel as her own hand flicked the light switch effectively cutting off the lights. The girl jumped to obey casting worried glances at her.

"Phade-."

"What time is it?" Phade asked frowning. She turned searching for her clock. "Where is everyone?" Realizing she didn't have a clock in her bedroom anymore she turned to Wes. "Angel?"

"They're with her." He saw her frown and smiled again. He knew he couldn't explain it. Couldn't describe who _she_ was or even what but he knew how she made them feel, made him feel. "Come. She wants to meet you. She's…" he sighed trailing off looking like some besotted fool in love for the first time.

"Wesley?" Phade felt that overwhelming nausea rise again. Something was wrong. She hadn't felt like this before. Her body didn't feel right, didn't feel normal. It was as if she'd been poured into someone else but the fit was all wrong. Not too tight but not loose, it was yet it wasn't and the confusion was worse. Phade couldn't order her thoughts, nothing felt right.

Wes grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bed room. He hurried her along, out of her apartment uncaring of her bare feet or lack of clothes, through the Hyperion going down one floor. Phade saw it, watched out of herself as she stumbled along with Wes. She frowned seeing her body jerk, she was un-coordinated, her movements jerky and stiff. It couldn't be her, this- this ungraceful thing…

Mayahuel followed behind asking questions neither answered, they just kept going with the gringo, going on and on about some woman but she couldn't figure out exactly what he said. If he would just slow down…

They went left then right, down a flight of stairs then another right through eerie empty halls until they made another left and came to a stop in front of a door. She heard people, the voices where happy, excited.

Mayahuel felt suddenly shy, out of place. How long had it been since she'd heard such joy? It seemed like years had passed, ages since she'd shared a laugh, even a hug with anyone. Sadness overwhelmed her; she had no one now only Temoc but he was far away, far from her…

Wesley led us into the suite and that- awful, nasty, gut wrenching- yugh! No word existed to describe how terribly wrong I felt just then. My insides were churning like a some blender –.

" _Jesus_ _make this stop."_

"Que bella." Mayahuel gasped. I felt her brush past me, a look of pure happiness on her features. She went forward quickly dropping to her knees and bent her head reverently. Wondering what had her behaving like this I followed her gaze. The first thing I noticed were the bugs- no, these are like wormy looking maggots-.

"Eew."

The image wavered, first it was there then it wasn't and I couldn't help think maybe I might be hallucinating. As I kept trying to focus on the woman I noticed her skirts, they were some maroon color but the weird part was they looked new or I thought so but on second glance they were moldy and full of holes. I shook my head wiping at my eyes then tried to focus but the images kept wavering. It was like trying to line up three shots of the same thing so they made one but the more I tried the worse my head pounded.

"Worms…" no one heard or maybe they didn't care but then I was _sure_ or- God! Why couldn't the maggots stay still! Then again were they even real? I couldn't be sure because the image kept flickering and I had black spots dancing happily about like freaking fairies!

' _Faeries? You've watched_ Legend _too many times.'_

So what if I had? That didn't get rid of the sickly sweet stench or the wave of nausea that rolled up from my stomach. I closed my eyes and concentrated on _not_ heaving. How embarrassing would that be? Not to mention, eew gross! With a deep breath I looked up at- at-

"Dios…"

Before the blanket of fog blessedly claimed me again I had a clear picture of… _it_.

The thing, woman, Cordelia had 'birthed' was neither dead or alive. Yes, it walked, talked, breathed- I guess- and did other humanly things so in a way it was alive but it was dead too. It was being eaten by maggots; I know it was, I could see them, the maggots and the worms pouring out of her eye sockets her mouth- decaying. I looked at her-it. She smiled, two smiles actually, one was hideous the maggots and worms spilled out of the hole where a mouth should be. Overlaying that image was the beautiful human exterior, a soft beautiful loving sort of smile but the eyes… there was something not right.

Everyone stood in shocked silence, frozen in place. After a silent moment her lips turned up in a beatific smile, one dark hand motioning to the woman passed out on the plush carpet.

"We should make her more comfortable."

"Of course." Wesley jumped to obey.

"The shock-." Angel moved to help as Wesley knelt by Phade. "She's just-." He smiled awkwardly as he helped get Phade on the couch.

"I almost fainted dead away myself." Fred laughed nervously. Seeing Angel, Wes and Her staring made Fred more uncomfortable. "I- I mean be- because she's so beautiful. I just felt so… so…"

"She'll be fine." Beneath Her gentle hand She felt the young girl relax. Mayahuel nodded understanding her perfectly.

"Wow." Fred breathed awed. Her mind quickly grasped the fact that this beautiful being was able to communicate with anyone in any language. The knowledge only re-enforced how wonderful She truly was.

She smiled surrounding them in her loving warmth.


	2. Chapter 2

_They were running, everyone was running and it was dark but I could hear voices. The dark streets gave way to lit and populated ones and-._

" _Dad!"_

 _What?_

 _Since when did Angel and Connor get along? Since when did they go out hunting together?_

 _All around us people were staring, they were shocked, surprised, wanting to know what had just happened because most of the café patrons had seen Angel stake the vampire and that same vampire go poof._

 _None of Angel Inc. said anything, no one answered the questions except for Angel who was trying to reassure a woman and then she dropped to her knees._

Why-?

 _What was going on here? Angel had this goofy look on his face and… oddly enough so did Gunn and Wesley and …. What was going on? Everywhere people where dropping to their knees. It was like some mass holy pilgrimage. Strange enough it brought memories back of the one my Mom had made accompany her to. We went to some old city in Mexico only I can't remember where, I was that young. I do remember the blazing sun and how bright everything was. The buildings were very old, made of clay or bricks though I don't recall there being blocks, all the walls were smooth and for the first time I was actually allowed to wander. On my own. By myself._

" _You're hurt."_

No I'm no-.

 _Oh. The old balding guy wasn't talking to me and turning to the one he was talking too I couldn't help but jerk backwards, away from the horrifying creature in front of me. The corpse like thing smiled, though that just made more of the worms spill out of its toothless hole._

" _All my life, so empty. That's over now, isn't it?" the woman said from her place on the ground._

 _Empty? Her life was empty?_

" _Yes, Margaret, it's over. I know you. I know you all. I've come here for you to bring you the gift of peace. You will be freed from the pains you've suffered. The world will change forever, and you will know the power of my love. The chaos will fade, and harmony will reign."_

 _What? How did she know her name and what was all this gift of peace krap and being freed from our pains? What was going on here?_

Hey!

 _I yelled, waved my arms but none of them took any notice of me. If I hadn't been worried before I was starting to panic a bit now._

" _Monster!" I turned at the yell. There he was, holding a knife and bleeding. The guy looked… he wasn't… there was a certain panicked look in his eyes and what he did next? God, he must be seriously demented, attacking that- that- that thing._

Stop! Stop it!

 _But the more I yelled for Angel to let the guy go the more he pounded on his face. I tried to pull him off but it was as if- as- I just- couldn't. He wouldn't budge. He didn't even feel my hands on him._

" _It has to die!"_

Suddenly breathless I sat up. My hands were clenched and glowing hotly, gathering clumps of my coverlet. The smell of singed material, just before it burst into flames, reached my nostrils and I had to jump out of bed dragging it with me to the bathroom. I was careful not to touch the water myself, not unless I wanted to go all fish girl again with the gills and webbed appendages. I had to suffer through it every time I took a shower. I missed the tub and my long baths but every time my skin came in contact with water I became the fish and got these crazy, yet terribly disturbing images in my head. I could say they were visions but then that would lob me in there with Cordelia and her brain pains. I'm very adamant about comparisons, especially when it involves me being compared to someone. I really don't like it and I make sure to let anyone and everyone know it the moment they start in on their 'why cant you be more like…'.

" _It has to die."_

The poor guy… but was it real? Did Angel really beat up on some innocent guy? And why where they slaying out in public, in front of regular I-don't-know-about-demons type of people?

"Uugh…" oh this was not good. I doubled over, one hand splayed over my stomach and tried not to let the empty nothingness I had in there spill out of my mouth. I was feeling it all over again and I kinda wished I was sleeping even if I had to dream those creepy-looks-real kind of dreams. Since when did I get sick? I mean I've got the runes; I'm all strong and healthy now so why all of a sudden does my stomach refuse to keep food down?

"Chingado, I have to do something about this."

 _After several weeks of sky-rocketing homicide rates, finally this week a dramatic decrease in southland murders. The Sheriff's Department spokesman attributes the drop to their new "Tough on Crime" policy instituted last month—._

I shut it off shaking my head at the stupid newscasters. Who was ever going to believe that load of boloney?

Wes had been by earlier wanting to know if I was ok. I faked feeling worse than I really did especially since I now had this cool little charm that kept me from feeling _too_ awful, just a slight head ache now. He looked disappointed saying he wanted me to spend more time with the others which of course meant _that thing_. I broke my promise then, the one about not looking in their heads because it just didn't seem normal that _he_ above all others wasn't freaking out over the undead walking corpse that was traipsing about the Hyperion. That brief look was difficult to perform especially when I didn't want Wes to know what I was doing. He didn't seem to realize what was going on but in the brief instant my mind grazed his I felt worse than when I woke up. There was no faking feeling awful…

Whatever was happening, Wesley believed the glamour of it, the fake image and the lies that thing was spewing. He left me then, going back to his adoring of that monster. I spent the rest of the afternoon hiding from them trying to figure out how to break the spell they were under but I had no idea what or even how it was doing…what it was doing.

Once again any questions I had about me and what I was or who the Od VaiLumin were had to be pushed aside in order to take care of this problem. It seemed like every time I got a little closer, found one more piece of my puzzle something cropped up that diverts every effort from my problem. I was tired of shit getting in the way, tired of being in the dark and not knowing who was fucking with my life and pulling strings as if I were some damn puppet.

I decided that staying in wasn't going to help me feel better and it certainly wasn't going to help me figure out what was going on. What I had to do was move, start doing instead of sitting so I got dressed. All I'd been wearing for the past couple of weeks were jeans, warm ups, or my leather. I kinda felt like a dress but with the way things were weird around here…? Nope, definitely not a dress but I did have a pair of cute shorts, they were the dressy type but I never wore them to the office because they were just too short. I mean you can get away with wearing capris at work but not shorts no matter how busnessy they look.

That settled I grabbed a peachy looking blouse in a gauzy material, put my hair up in a messy bun, very light shimmer make-up and low peeked toed heels and I was done. Looking in the mirror critically I had to say it wasn't too shabby. I could look much worse.

"What is going on here?"

"We are just excited head over teakettle about this entire event. I-I just can't even believe—." Lorne turned waving a green hand as I tried to make sense of all the people in the lobby. "Hey, hey, hey, pumpkin. Where've you been?"

"I wasn't feeli-." Oh, well not me again. Why do I always answer questions not directed at me? Why can't they ever be clear as to who they are speaking to before they ask questions?

"Out." Fred replied looking around at all the people. "What happened?"

"That's what I just asked Lorne." I muttered with a glower at the green demon. "Hi Fred." She waved distractedly which was normal for her.

"Oh, she went out for a walk—it was like A Hard Day's Night—everybody followed her back. Isn't it fabulous." He pointed at a man, his attention diverted. "Oh, hey, hey, hey."

I couldn't believe we were actually taking in guests. Half of the hotel was under construction and besides the suites we'd cleaned out nothing else was prepared for taking in guests. What were they thinking?

"Excuse me, darlings." Lorne said with an airy wave of his hand. He headed off into the crowds apparently he was playing hostess to the crowds gathering. I turned in a half circle which wasn't a great idea since I got more than a little bit dizzy. Bits of conversations drifted in and out, none of them making sense. Half of the voices weren't recognizable and some were so garbled they were indecipherable.

" _I need you."_ That voice I recognized and it certainly wasn't my little friend with the annoying half truths and information on what I was or the Od VaiLumin.

"… _you'd trust me, right?"_

Fred.

" _Of course. "_

And Wesley. What were they talking about? Why did it feel as if they were whispering? But something was off, it was strange…

"… _he saw something. We both s-saw something."_

No, she needed to stop. Why was she telling him? Didn't she realize he wasn't on her side?

" _Rotting flesh? Really?"_

God, why did you tell him?

The cheering crowd jabbed at my brain and I had to grab onto the counter just to stay upright. I gasped for breath trying to quiet the voices in my head

" _Of course I'll help you. Wait here."_

"I'm sorry…" there was nothing I could do for her. I couldn't help them and the pain in my head grew worse. The cool tiles soothed my hot skin and the more I pressed my hands to my head the less I felt the piercing ache. I had to stay conscious but the effort that was taking seemed to take my breath away.

I couldn't help feeling just a little bit angry, I mean after the trouble I went through to get that stupid little charm to work and this is what I got? How fucking fair is this? Damn piece of krap. I couldn't even stay standing!

"I'm sorry." Fred's voice seemed come from right next to me. I barely caught a glimpse of her with the crossbow. It dawned on me; this girl was completely off her rocker! She actually intended to kill that demon.

"Fred! Are you crazy? What— I mean— Fred!" Lorne exclaimed as Fred put the edge of a knife to his throat.

"Don't come near me!" she shouted clearly panicked. They didn't listen to her though. Each one tried to make her give up but Fred wasn't thinking clearly. I could hear the panic in her voice and in her situation I can't say as I would do any different.

"I'll kill him, Charles!" she yelled.

"Easy, kiddo, huh?" Lorne somehow managed to keep his voice under control. I couldn't help but think he was always getting the short end of the stick. Poor guy…

"There's nowhere you can go, Fred. My love will follow you everywhere."

"Ooh," I doubled over at her voice, soft and silky it sent a wave of nausea ripping through my stomach and it was all I could do to keep from puking right there.

"Hey!"

"Let her go. Now is not the time. We are all gathered here in peace. Let's not let her take that away from us."

So they didn't follow her but the little meeting _it_ held afterwards was worse than if they had followed Fred. I still can't believe they think she's evil when the evil thing is the one they're so intent on protecting. What the hell kind of monster did Cordelia birth into our world? Nothing I said made any difference; I was just 'sick girl' to them. I can't say it hurt my feelings because if it kept me out of that things way I'm all for being sick girl. As a matter of fact the further I stayed away form their _Jasmine_ the better the charm worked. Yeah, they named her. God, what a load of krap. Everyone blaming themselves for not seeing Fred's evil or blaming the guy at the hospital for spelling Fred's brain. As if! But it has a plan and by tomorrow Fred is not going to find any safe place to hide and how am I supposed to help her?

"I have to help her."

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked swiping the TV remote from Dom who immediately got off the couch reaching for it.

"Hey!"

"We got work." Ryan clicked off the TV twirling the remote in his hand as if it were a gun then slid it into his back pocket with a grin. "Get off your butts and let's finish up."

Jax muttered under his breath as he preceded Dom out of the rec room complaining about that lady they were going to interview next. He'd wanted to hear all about the 'love' she planned on using to get the world to get along. Now that would make for plenty of jokes but he couldn't do that if he didn't know what she was gonna say.

Ryan kept the smile pasted on his face as the Hell'sAngel left the rec room. Once out of sight he turned to the TV unplugging it before yanking the cord from the back of the set. He'd already gone through all the other TV sets in the warehouse and all because Phade asked him to. Of course she had a good reason and after the things he'd seen he wasn't about to scoff at the idea of a demon being able to sway the entire world to peace by the sound of its voice or its look. He'd managed to get her Dad to help him sabotage every and all radios so about the only thing he had to worry over was the internet. Now that was gonna be a bitch to get around but he didn't have to worry about it until later, as in when they finished working on the engine.

Tasha, Matthew and Mr. Vartan knew of Phade's call and the reason for the sudden silence. He was worried, well they both were. Phade was dealing with the situation alone and though both men had tried to force her to accept help from the Hell'sAngel's she refused. She didn't want them to get caught in the spell even though she wasn't sure that's what it was. Still, Ryan couldn't help feeling angry and he wouldn't blame her Father for thinking less of him.

" _I can't be worrying about you being affected by this thing and still try and figure out how to stop it. Besides, when-because you will fall under its spell- when you do everything I'm trying to do or have done it will know."_

Mr. Vartan gave in after that though Ryan could see he wasn't happy and the grumpy old man was keeping himself busy patching up the warehouse and using the boys as his little laborers. Ryan didn't mind so long as they were kept out of harms way.

"Now, for the big kids." He muttered heading into the garage.

For now Fred would have to take care of herself, right now I had to go to a certain book store, one with books on the Od VaiLumin, at least I hoped so and if not then maybe I could find something on this thing.

"As changuitos." I muttered crossing my fingers and heading inside with snort at the sign.

 **  
_Everything THEY don't want you to know._   
**

Seriously? The owner should've just painted a bulls eye on his store. I wondered if Wolfram and Hart knew about this place. I imagined they wouldn't want anyone to find it let alone have the information contained in the books then I wondered where the owner got the books in the first place.

"Hello?" there was no echo in here but it was still eerie. A dark figure popped out from behind the counter. "Eek!" hey, he startled me ok? And it wasn't exactly an Eek! It was more of a gasp- forget it.

So the freak behind the counter gave a perfunctory smile as greeting while I checked out the alien t-shirt.

"Great." I muttered. Freak confirmed add a splash of weirdo in the mix and it's this guy.

"Hi." He said just a little too cheerful.

 _'Freaky weirdo.'_

Yup, this was gonna be interesting.

"I'm looking for some books." The fool looked around at the full shelves and I knew he was thinking I must be some kind of idiot. I glared. "Specifically on higher beings, not exactly gods but there about."

"Greek, Roman, Egyptian…" he trailed off as he headed around some book shelves.

"No, not- I don't think so." But I wasn't sure. I mean, where they part of _those_ Gods or where those just branch offs of the Od VaiLumin? What was their purpose? They just can't _be_ without a purpose, the universe and everything in it just doesn't work that way.

For example, I don't like spiders; hate 'em, can't stand 'em, they freak me out. But… we need 'em because without spiders we'd be overrun with bugs and certain bugs I'd rather not have around. So that's their purpose.

What were the Od VaiLumin and what was their purpose? That's what I wanted to know. Once I had that I could figure out how to tell them to go fuck themselves.

You see how much I like being told what to do? Not to mention- fish girl here! I have no problem with the fire or the stone, those are pretty cool but I can't even take a bath! I have to shower and it has to be quick, no dawdling like before because I go fish girl and get those 'moving pictures' in my head. It's very disorienting not too mention nauseous. Then there's the dishes, no one's gonna wash my dirty dishes for me so I'm stuck wearing those funky yellow gloves. And rain? Yeah, that's fucking fun, really fucking enjoyable, walking around all covered in plastic with an umbrella _and_ gloves- no, I really do not like these Od VaiLumin. They are the goddamn thorn in my side I can't seem to get rid of and the kicker?

I did it to myself.


	3. Chapter 3

' _Nothing will ever be the same…'_

 _The sky turned black, the stars burned out, the sun died and life- everything changed…_

They _came, took the weak, used them until their light was no more._

 _The Light was not happy. The Light dimmed and we worried. The Light was all. The Light…_

 _War ensued; the beast's, demons from every dimension rose against those of the Light, those who would protect the weak, the little beings the Light took such pleasure from. Some believed the little beings- humans – were nothing more than a passing distraction, that once gone- wiped from the verse- the Light would find pleasure in_ their _worship, in_ their _light but their light was no longer pure; they were corrupted, tainted by the demons…_

 _There were others who swore to protect that which the Light favored and found such pleasure in and so the worshipers split in two factions._

 _The Od VaiLumen chose from the race of humans protectors for their species. Men and women who could see or feel the Light and answered the call of The Chosen. Granted by the Od VaiLumen authority over the elements the women became Fury's, the first and most powerful defense against those who sought to destroy the human race. The Guardians, sworn to fight and guide the Fury's were granted longer life and strength in order to heal the wounds of their charges. Even in this the Od VaiLumen had no say for if death took a Fury or Guardian their light was extinguished for ever…_

 _For ever_ … the words printed in bold black letters seemed to burn in her mind and the images they produced drained the color from the gold tinted skin leaving it ashy and gray.

Women of fire and ice battling forever on the black soil over the bodies of their fallen warriors while more of the hordes crawled from the bleeding earth to consume of the Light.

The men, Guardians trying in vain to save the few they were able to reach, many giving their life for the Fury they tried to heal and more dying still… and the battle rages. Blood is shed…

The Light.

It was a non-entity yet it gave life to everything, even the hordes. There was no light with out dark, night could not exist with out day and so evil had to be balanced by good. It was the reason they were, the reason she was selected, why they were all special.

The Od VaiLumen had more power than the Fury's or Guardians combined yet they held back. They left the war to them as all the suffering and the pain because if the greater powers clashed everything would die.

The Light would cease…

" _This is how it's meant to be."_

"Consider her armed, dangerous, and quite possibly insane. Don't let her grace or gentle beauty fool you. Winifred Burkle," Wesley pointed at a poster of Fred. She was looking quite innocent and cute. "is a monster, a siren hoping to lure you away from Jasmine and onto the rocks of heresy and destruction."

My mouth hung slightly open at his words. Was he serious- yes, they all were.

"Amen to that." Gunn said and I couldn't help the frown I threw his way. Yeah, they were all brain washed but this one obviously still felt the sting of the break up.

"Now, uh, Lorne has a few important announcements and, as I understand, a very special surprise." Then Wes stepped away from the podium, taking the poster of Fred with him. What followed next were a series of 'I hate Fred' themes as entertainment. The little boy with his stupid essay, the prom queen in her ugly pink dress, the mute lady! Jeez I thought that was bad enough but then the band started up and _Lorne_ was singing- that was my cue to leave. Lorne's a good singer, nice voice I guess but he's the only one out of the bunch of us that's remotely 'innocent' aside from Fred and he's singing her demise?

I Just- I couldn't.

" _This is how it was meant to be."_

I still couldn't stop thinking about them, the Fury's. They were dying and I had no idea what I was supposed to do, how to reach them or even how to help but I knew that this _thing_ they called Jasmine was one of theirs, the ones who want my kind dead.

The ones who want _all_ of us dead.

I couldn't even tell them to leave me alone, the Od VaiLumen because like the book said, I answered their call. I chose to be one of theirs.

"So we're on lock down because your _wife_ says so." Jessy asked. She stood with the other Hell'sAngel's, arms crossed, blue eyes glaring. There was uncomfortable silence, Dom cleared his throat and the others fidgeted, trying to find somewhere else to look and wishing they were someplace else.

"No," Matthew took a step forward drawing their eyes away from the impending argument. "We're locked down for our own safety."

"Whatever this thing is doesn't affect Phade, yet everyone else is falling over themselves to please this being." Tasha spoke just beside Matthew. She was hoping Jessica would hold her tongue or at least wait until the meeting was over before she argued with Ryan. It was no secret there was a distance between the two. Jessica as well as Ryan hadn't said a word and weirdly none of the Hell'sAngel's had nosed in on it.

"Any help we _think_ of offering is only going to warm _it_ and that's only going to make it harder for Phade to find a weakness or get rid of it." Ryan avoided looking at Jessy but he could feel her hard eyes on him. He'd kept his distance, avoided having any conversations with her and damn sure tried to keep Franco from overhearing anything he shouldn't.

"So we sit tight." Dom stated clearly unhappy by the inaction.

"You're not the only one who doesn't like this, Dom." Ryan offered a pained look knowing Mr. Vartan was not happy about this either. His daughter was left pretty much to fend for herself and the new husband was sitting tight in his hide out.

"Then I say we sneak up there and fill this _thing_ full of lead or silver or whatever's gonna take it down." Jax grinned hopping to his feet with excitement. He cast bright eyes around the room noting the lack of excitement his idea had.

"Jax," Oded leaned his head forward slightly shaking it. "Just sit down." He said and everyone knew that wasn't what he'd originally intended to say.

"But-." Jax began only to have Tripp lightly shove him toward his chair.

"We sit tight." Ryan re-iterated receiving only slight grumblings from the younger guys. "No outside contact at all. TV, radio, Internet." He locked eyes with each member receiving a nod of capitulation before going to the next. "I took care of the TV's, no way for the kids to accidentally get sucked into this thing." He grimaced slightly showing them the severed cords. There were plenty of expletives as to the kind of fool he was for doing something so stupid since now they couldn't even watch a DVD. Ryan just let it all fall over his shoulders. He hadn't thought of that and now there really was nothing to keep the kids busy.

"Ok, alright. They're still fixable…" though he wasn't going to do the fixing and that's what had Jax and Tripp grumbling. Anything electrical was pretty much their thing. "Look, Daa..ah- Franco will keep the boys out of trouble." At least he hoped so. "You just need to keep the pc's and laptops locked. We don't need them stumbling onto that website."

It grated on Jessy that he'd married Phade but now her kid was here and her father. At first there was slight concern from the others about having the kids in the warehouse but there was nowhere for Temoc to go since his sister was off with the Slayer. Mr. Vartan was there to care for Sebastián which tended to negate that little problem. The fact that Phade's father found things to fix around the warehouse which freed the others to work on new weapons and altering the vehicles endeared the older man to the Hell'sAngel's but now Ryan was calling him _Dad_?

She waited for the others to leave walking up behind Ryan as he was talking to Tasha. The Russian caught one look at Jessy and beat a hasty retreat knowing the young woman was finally going to have _that_ conversation with Ryan.

"Dad?" he froze at the steely tone directly behind him. He'd been avoiding her; at least he'd been trying to and been dreading the talk he knew he had to have with her. It had been three months since the 'incident' and since then he'd married Phade, helped her bring back the sun, provided sanctuary for her family and now pretty much took care of her son and Father.

"What is wrong with you?" Jessy asked her face was a mask of hurt and longing. Ryan tried to ignore the naked look on her face as he turned around. He wiped a tired hand over his own threading the fingers through his hair.

"Look, I-."

"Don't care." Jessy cut him off stepping into the small space separating them. Her hands splayed on his chest as she rose on her toes… Ryan roughly grabbed her shoulders and held her away from himself.

"Most guys wouldn't think twice about this." He said in a rough voice. She could tell he was angry, felt it in the painful grip he had on her shoulders. "Hell, I probably wouldn't have thought it over if it weren't for Phade-."

"Screw you!" Jessy hissed twisting out of his grip. "You don't even _know_ her."

"She's my wife." Ryan stated in a quiet but firm voice.

"Who you don't live with and hardly ever see. What kind of marriage is that? And you're taking care of _her_ son. A boy who isn't yours! He _has_ a Father- what the hell is wrong with you?" Jessy raged spitting out anything she could think of to hurt him, hurt as much as his rejection hurt her.

"You don't know her. You don't know me." Ryan's face took on a stony appearance though his jaw was clenched tightly. After all the time they'd worked together, all the tight spots and close calls they'd lived through he couldn't help but feel miserable over this. He was choosing Phade over a friend, or someone he'd thought of as a friend.

"This never happened," he looked at her meaningfully. "And it never will."

"Where's Angel?" I asked Lorne's back. He whirled around looking very fidgety which meant something wasn't as peachy keen in the world of the oh-wonderful- _Jasmine_. The green skin went a shade paler then he was bubbly-Lorne again smiling widely though it never reached his eyes.

"Crumb cake! You're looking fabulously delicious!" he exclaimed eyeing my attire for the day. One dark eyebrow rose in questionable disbelief at this and his voice faltered. I mean, fabulously delicious? That made my jean capris, brown square-heeled high boots and quarter sleeve sweater blouse seem like something off the runway. Not exactly high fashion and I remembered Cordelia's surprise at not finding designer labels in my wardrobe. What I didn't tell her was that the nicer clothes in my closet where tailor made by an old friend of my Mom's who had a shop in the downtown fashion district. She's a nice old lady who now has other seamstresses making the fancy wedding gowns, prom dresses and sweet _15_ 's. She still does some for me when I ask her but I try not to make it difficult for her. She's not as young as she used to be and her eyesight is failing… Getting old is a bitch.

"He's gone."

I frowned.

"What do you mean gone? Where'd he go?" that was the wrong question to ask. Just out of the corner of my eye I could see Gunn approaching and turning to look behind me found Wesley standing not a foot away. "You guys wanna let me in on the big secret?" I asked facing them. I had that bad feeling again and being surrounded by the mass of adoring Jasmine fanatics didn't help.

"He's dead to us." Wes replied then took my arm in his hand and led me to the side. Gunn and Lorne followed like good little puppies and I wondered what, if anything, I should do. Were they gonna try and kill me now?

"Hmmph!"

I changed the snort of laughter to a sort of cough seeing the look on Wes's face. I mean we were surrounded by people! Granted these were all brain washed but I was pretty sure they wouldn't try and kill me in front of an audience. _Jasmine_ wouldn't like it.

"How did you figure it out?" Wes asked looking at Fred.

"It was Angel." She replied her glanced strayed to the prone figure on the bed. "He figured since Cordy gave birth to Jasmine, they might share a blood link as well as a mystical one."

"We hoped Cordy's blood would have the same effect when we exposed you to it." He looked a bit shamed. He knew exactly how they were feeling now that reality had set in.

"Thanks for nothing." Gunn muttered through there was a thread of anger in his voice. Angel couldn't blame him.

"Yeah, you slashed this wrist, and I'm ready to do the other one myself." Lorne actually looked around for the blade but felt too downtrodden to actually do it just then.

"Everything we believed...deception." Wesley whispered from his spot. He stared ahead at nothing, his gaze lost in memories of what he'd believed to be true, what he'd felt was true.

"And how do we convince several million other people that Jasmine's message is false?" Angel asked putting the question of what they needed to do out for every one to focus on.

"It's impossible." Fred said with shake of her head. "Even if we're able to develop a synthetic analog to the blood, there's—I mean, how do we fight something this huge and powerful?" she looked at each of them hoping to see one of them hold out an answer but they were all defeated.

"I don't know yet, but what I do know is I'm not leaving this hotel without my son." The fire in Angel's voice got them standing a little bit straighter.

"I'll get him. I've kidnapped him before." Wes stated in a dead voice. Now that he wasn't under Jasmine's spell he could feel again, feel for what he'd done, the pain he'd caused.

"They were granted authority over the elements."

Ok, so I know fire is one and I can use that, no problem. Water is another but I'm not so sure turning into a fish is having 'authority' over the element and what about the stone. I mean I can make my- well, any part of me hard as stone and I swim through it but is it really an element? I wonder how many elements we can use? What about the whole Guardian healing thing? How come I'm able to do the healing sans Guardian or is it a different kind of healing they do? I really wish they'd left a manual for this stuff. How the hell am I supposed to figure it all out? You'd think I'd get more info for all the cash I doled out just to get this book though it does feel sort of _light_ somehow.

"Where's my Guardian?"

I mean he's the one who's supposed to be doing the teaching or guiding- shit.

"This is giving me a head ache." And there was no way I could hide in my suite all day at least not today. That meant it was time for me to make an appearance in the lobby.

I really hated going down there because all the Jasmine fanatics did was bash Fred and Angel or spout _its_ praises. I was no closer to figuring this out and Ryan was getting antsy. I couldn't blame them for feeling caged. They were out of touch with the outside world and that was never a good thing especially with Jax, Tripp and Dom. Those three wreak havoc _every_ where. I'm amazed they are still alive and I _really_ didn't like the idea of Ryan being cooped up with Jessica not that Ryan would ever- because if he- he jus- no.

"No."

I tried to put those stupid thoughts out of my head but I just knew leaving him alone with her was a recipe for disaster and still I refused to bring it up. I didn't even tell my Dad because once the words are out I can't take them back. I can't pretend the possibility isn't there and I just don't want to deal with something like that again.

"Wes?" I hadn't even heard the door open let alone close but there was no denying he was just leaving Cordelia's room.

"Phade." He smiled though it wasn't a real smile. I tilted my head to the side and slowed down a little wondering what was different. "You're feeling better today. Why don't you come sit with me? We can thank Cordelia for bringing Jasmine to us. For giving us so much happiness."

Ha! Happiness. Yeah, and I have the Midas touch but there it was, the smile only it didn't reach his eyes.

The happiness was gone.

"Ummm…." I didn't really wanna go with him, especially not if he was gonna go all priesty on me and pray like some of the other loonies I'd seen in Cordy's room. Still, I couldn't say no since that would draw unwanted attention to myself because who _doesn't_ want to thank Ms. Chase for giving us a peace-loving-evil-demon to enslave man kind?

"Ok." I said just a tad too cheery.

He opened the door for me and like a true gentle man waited for me to go in first. This was so in character for Wes I didn't even think twice about it and that was soooo my bad.

I barely had a chance to take in the others in the room; Lorne standing at the foot of Cordelia's bed, head bowed as if in prayer and Gunn leaning against the wall looking at me. Suddenly I have something heavy on my back, I can't move my arms and a _cold_ hand is covering my mouth. Of course I lashed out, I tried to break free and then it hit me. Who else has cold hands that I know?

"Mmnglll!" that didn't sound like Angel but its what I meant and I stopped struggling because if Wes had led me into this 'trap' it meant he wasn't under that demons control anymore. Come to think of it neither would Lorne and Gunn and if Angel was here-. "Mnagh!"

"Don't worry." But Fred was holding a knife and I wasn't so sure they didn't intend to kill me. I mean they probably thought I was under that things control and they knew what I could do. Well, not everything but they'd seen some of it.

"We're not going to hurt you."

Hmph, that's right sweetie, you're not going to hurt me because I wasn't about to let that happen. Still, I tried not to hurt her as I raised my leg.

Fred flew back knocking into Lorne and both went down on the other side of the bed.

I kept trying to speak, to tell them I wasn't one of those mindless freaks but Angel just would not let go and I didn't want to hurt him either. That whole fire thing wasn't completely under my control which is why I tried not to use it. Suddenly he turned and I saw Gunn come at us with a bat.

"Mph, phuukn mmat!" I doubt they got the gist of that but I knew where he was thinking of landing the blow. I let my body go and the sudden dead weight had Angel bending forward to keep me up. The bat connected with a loud 'whack!' and I was free.

"What the hell is wrong with you all?" I hissed trying to keep my voice from reaching the Jasmine fanatics and grabbing Wes as a body shield.

"We're trying to help you." Wes grimaced barely able to speak past the hand I had clamped over his throat or the pain from the arm I had shoved up behind him.

"Oh, right a big bloody knife is going to do that. It never occurred to me. Gee, how stupid do you think I am?" I doubt they were able to see my eyes roll though there was no missing the sarcasm.

"On a scale of 1 to 10?" Gunn asked.

"Look you," I huffed a breath feeling decidedly uncharitable towards the Mike Piazza wanna be. I didn't dare let Wesley go, not until they realized I was on their side.

I'd never left it.

"God, did you have to hit me?" Angel groaned tentatively shaking his head. Gunn looked apologetic but it still didn't get rid of the pain in Angel's head. I wouldn't blame him for taking a bite out of chocolate boy.

"She ducked." He defended sounding very lame.

"Are you all over the whole 'I love Jasmine' trip?" I asked glancing at Lorne who now stood with Fred as far form me as they could. "Because if you're not I'm gonna have to do some major hurting here." Just to make my point clear I had Wes help me by emitting a slight groan of pain.

"Are you?" Gunn asked still toting the bat like he was gonna have the chance to use it.

"Does it look like I'm one of those?" I asked glaring at him.

"But how did you- I mean- well she's-." Fred really made no sense and her confusion only seemed to spread to the others.

"Fine." I let go of Wes stepping away from all of them and holding my hands up. "Now what's going on?"

They looked at each other, the questions clear on their faces but no one was talking. I set my hands on my hips looking at each face.

Wes left to get Connor and no matter how I phrased it Angel wasn't leaving with out him but he would leave with out Cordelia. Go figure but its like I always thought, men just don't love the way women can and that includes vampires.

"So you could see her-it how it truly looks from the very beginning?" Fred asked just a bit grossed out.

"Oh yeah and that's not all. That thing makes me sick, I mean puke sick, nausea, head aches, migraines, light piercing pains in my brain type sick." At the looks on their faces I thought maybe that was a little too much information. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh, just kinda scary gross. Not like…" Fred looked away and I noticed the others were looking very sad now that they weren't under the happy demons spell.

"I haven't been able to find anything on this thing. I checked all the books in Wes's office not that there are many left and I tried different occult shops. Heard you two had quite the bon fire going in the last one I went to."

"Jasmine had it burned." Angel said though he quickly looked away from me.

"Her blood was on the floor. She didn't want anyone else coming in contact with it." Fred mumbled softly. I placed an arm around her thin shoulders trying to offer what little comfort there was in this situation. They were all tense, wondering when they-we would get caught.

"So how come you weren't affected?" Gunn asked with a frown.

"Because I'm not like you guys. Not anymore." I sighed wondering if I should tell them what I knew or if it was better just to lie my way out of their next set of questions.

"Wait," Angel straightened from his slumped pose and stood looking at me. "Why didn't you tell us you weren't under Jasmine's control?"

"I did!" I exclaimed dropping my arm from Fred's shoulder. "You had your hand clamped over my mouth. All I could get out was- Mphg! Mnagh! and not much else."

"You can't get in our heads anymore?" Angel asked with a frown.

"Oh."

Well, shit. I hadn't even thought about it. It didn't even _occur_ to me to use thought-speak. "Well, now I feel all kinds of retarded."

"So a 10, then." Gunn replied while Fred offered a comforting pat to my leg.

"You know, I got a brand new trick I'm itching to try out." I said with a soft smile. "You wanna be the lab rat?"

"What are you?" Lorne asked quietly. Everyone looked at him but he didn't seem to notice. Those red eyes just stayed on me, contemplating.

"You read me, Lorne. Don't you know what I am?" he shook his head faintly, eyes never wavering, not even when I smiled.

"Fury."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly and it was clear he'd known, he had just been waiting for me to know it.

"I am of the Light, of the Chosen and I have answered their call. I live to fight so that all may live and thrive, so we may please the Light."

I had no idea where the words had come from but they were true and I _had_ chosen.

I am a Fury.


	4. Chapter 4

Connor walked into the room, smiling completely oblivious as to what awaited him. I felt bad for the kid, for everything that kept going wrong in his life. It was as if he weren't mean to be happy, like he couldn't get a break.

"What?" he chuckled seeing the bunch of us all in the room. Then he caught sight of Fred and Angel had to hold him back. "Hey! No!"

"It's gonna be OK." Angel said trying his best to be soothing though how keeping him pinned was going to help get that point across was beyond my comprehension.

"You've been lied to. We all have." Fred said still holding that big knife. I rolled my eyes standing far away from the little knot of helpless do gooders.

"Don't make this any harder."

"Let go." Connor ordered watching them apprehensively. Something about the kid was bugging me but so far his reaction was normal. I mean I'd had the same one when Fred approached me with the knif-.

"Watc-." But my warning was too late and Gunn flew back.

"Easy." Angel said struggling to keep him still.

"Don't." He said once more.

"Angel, maybe this isn't the way…" but none of them were listening and Wes took over. Knife in hand he dipped his fingers in the bowl of Cordelia's blood then sliced Connor's chest. It was a shallow cut but the fact that he did it slowly and then rubbed his bloodied fingers into the cut-.

"Aah! I'll kill you." he growled at Angel.

"It'll pass." He replied in his soothing voice.

"Right, 'cause Lord knows he's never tried that before." And I couldn't help but agree with Lorne.

"You're back with us now, Connor." Gunn took a breath watching as the kid stopped struggling. Wesley touched Connor's face trying in his way to lend some comfort because he knew what he was feeling. They all felt it, that lonely ache, the empty void which had been filled with that things lies.

"Sorry. The only way to make you see." Angel said softly, apologizing for ripping the blindfold from his son's eyes.

"What you're feeling is normal. We're all feeling it. The sadness—it gets better after a while." Fred tried, looking more like a little girl than ever. I could see the lie in her words…

"Jasmine." Connor said softly.

"You understand why we're here?" Angel asked. Conner nodded always moving to the door and that was all wrong. I stepped forward dropping my arms where I'd had them crossed over my chest.

"No-."

"They're here! Come quick! They're here." He yelled from the hallway.

"Connor, you have to listen to us." Angel tried desperately to reach him, make him understand but I knew it was too late. The boy was gone, he'd never been with us and just as I'd never been affected by the demon neither had he.

"Of course, its part of him." And his next words only confirmed what I'd just realized.

"You're wrong, Dad. About me, about her, everything. It doesn't matter anymore what you say." And from the look on his face I was pretty sure bad was just seconds from getting worse. "We're gonna tear you apart."

Angel lunged at the door, slamming it shut. He locked Connor and the lunatics outside leaning with all his force against the door. I headed to the window not waiting for them to tell me what needed doing. It was obvious our time there was up and we had to leave, fast. The others hesitated even when Angel yelled at them to get out. I slipped out the window easily using the flimsy fire escape which groaned and screeched just with my weight.

"Shit." I slowed down but the metal screeched louder as the others climbed onto it. "No, no, no oh no." looking up I could see all of them bunched up, all four of them and me? That made five people on the flimsy fire escape and looking over the side I could tell it was a long way to the ground-.

"Stone. That's stone under us…" l had the brightest idea just then. "Hey!" I called to the four still clinging to the railing. "Get over here; I'm going to get us down."

"How?" Gunn asked but they were all moving albeit at a snails pace.

"If you don't hurry it up you'll never find out." I reached a hand to Wes who was the first one and letting go of the rail I grabbed Fred pushing them both together and putting them on my left. "You're going to have to trust me on this." I said with a smile.

"You're smiling." Gunn stated with a frown. "I don't like when you smile."

"You all hold on and what ever you do, _do not let go_." I grabbed Lorne's hand and made sure I held onto him because I didn't think he'd hold on to me. "You really don't want to let go." I assured them and felt Wes slip his arm around my waist while Fred clutched at him. "You're gonna help me." I told Gunn who still scowled though he did grab onto my arm. _"You're gonna help me push us over the edge."_

"I what!" Gunn yelled wide eyed but by then I had them all clinging to each other and to me.

We went over screams and all with the wind whipping past us, ten stories down. It wasn't a long fall but it wasn't short either and having to keep four freaked out adults together was harder than I'd assumed it was gonna be.

The five emerged from the concrete in the garage a tangle of limbs piled on top of each other. There were groans and curses as each tried to get up and found themselves wobbly and uncoordinated like a new born colt.

"I swear, if _you ever_ do something like this again-!" Gunn gasped falling onto his side.

Wes fared no better though he did manage to get Fred untangled from Lorne. There was a muffled groan from Phade and as she moved to get up her muscles spasmed. She sat a moment wiping at her face while Wes got the car. A moment later the engine growled to life and tires squealed as he pulled up next to the group. They piled in with Phade slipping into the back seat with Lorne and Gunn.

"God that was... awful!" Fred mumbled wiping at her eyes.

"Love you to bits precious," Lorne said to Phade patting her head where it rested against his shoulder. "But don't ever do that again."

"Not a problem." Phade muttered feeling the pain in her head begin to recede. "I don't plan on _ever_ taking anyone for a swim in stone again." and she meant it.

The tires screeched as the car came to a stop behind the fire escape they had just jumped out of.

"This is all wrong. There has to be a way we could—." Fred began looking at them for support.

"We could cut the power, create a diversion." Gunn offered.

"No, she has hundreds of followers in there all acting with a single, focused will. We can't risk going against that. Not now. Someone—." Wes was cut off mid-sentence as the car bounced. The loud thump jerked Phade from her light doze. She watched as Angel pulled Connor off the hood of the car and out of the way as he slid in next to Fred.

"Drive." He ordered grim faced.

"Angel—."

"We can't just leave him, he's your—." Fred looked frightened.

"I know what he is. Wes, drive." Angle cut through their protests and as the mob approached with Jasmine in the lead, Wes put the car in gear. All that was heard was the screech of the tires as the small group left.

 _The trials are set before the Chosen._

 _Fire._

 _Water._

 _Air._

 _Earth._

 _Stone._

 _Metal._

 _The elements, each more powerful alone and a terrible force to contend with combined. Time is needed to unite the Fury with her element. Time that stands still is only found within the Light…_

Flames danced around, the stone burned, glowed white hot and still she walked. The earth shook; the ground trembled and cracked leaving a glowing abyss quickly filled with flowing fire. The flames rose high, a flare of red, orange and yellow the tips white. She fell, silent, arms open she fell into the abyss…

The beast's maw snapped missing the floating woman by millimeters. She writhed unable to breathe the water then it began to glow around her. Blue-green and her hands webbed, sharp finned scales lined her arms jutting out in sharp points at her elbows. The beast attacked again and using her arm the Fury severed the tentacle. The water fizzled, the color darkening, turning black…

Cold wind blew against the figures, whistling past their defenses. The sky and the earth separated by the nothingness between, the empty spaces filled with the clear, crisp wind. It cut, tore into the winged creatures. Blood, feathers everywhere…

The ground shook and the Fury stood as the demons rose from the ground. The earth pulled itself closed only to be torn open once again. Bending down she dug her fingers into the soft dirt, light pulsed down her arms and the trees sprouted before her. The roost wove, entwining themselves until they covered the wound in the earth…

Spires of stone rose from the ground, the sharp points jutting through the beasts as they charged. There were too many and as one the five stood, hands clasped. The ground shook, more demons accumulated and then the single slab of stone sliced out of the earth cutting into the horde. Limbs were severed and the rest were contained…

Shimmering pools bubbled up from the ground. The liquid bled up between rocks and dirt and as the Fury's cupped the liquid in their hands it shaped into what they willed. Round spiked spheres, long sharp spears, weapons of every sort imaginable. The demons clawed on them only to howl as their nails were broken. The Fury's skin bubbled each time slicing into the demon as it held onto her. One arm shimmered melting until a slender spike replaced the appendage. It sunk into the howling demon before easily cutting it in half…

"Man, never seen so many cruisers."

"Technically, we're the only criminals left."

"There's no way we're drivin' out of this. It's time we disappeared."

I heard their voices before as if from far away but they called to me, not that they actually said my name but I felt as if I had to go there, to be present and offer what help I could.

"Ok so what have I missed?" I asked sitting up and rubbing at my face. It was difficult to focus on one face or even an object. I kept seeing the mirage, the wom-Fury's, I couldn't help but feel awed by them. They each shone with their inner power, their fury and more than a few of them could wield over one element. It was amazing, what they could do, what they _did_.

"Hey, sleeping beauty is finally awake." Gunn retorted much grumpier than I remembered.

"What crawled up his butt and died, Lorne?" but the green demon wasn't smiling so the joke was wasted, not that I was joking. The car started moving again, into the city with very little by way of conversation. I had too much time on my hands just then, to think on the dream. I'm assuming it was a dream because I wasn't reading the book; I'd left that back in my suite.

On my bed.

In plain sight.

"Aww man." I groaned slumping in the seat.

"Problem cupcake?"

"Not particularly unless you consider leaving the only piece of information I've got so far on what I am in plain sight in the bad guys lair. So, nope no problem…" but it was a major huge problem! All I could do was cross my fingers and hope none of those loonies went into my suite.

"You put up the wards like I said?" I glanced at Lorne sharply trying to remember if I had set the wards. "You only have to do it once, hon and after that they go up all by themselves. It's an automatic reflex kind of thing."

Reflex? Was he shitting me? But the green guy's face was very open- not an ounce of teasing or deceit-.

"You're brilliant!" I exclaimed with a hug for the green demon. Now it didn't matter whether I'd forgotten to do it myself. They went up anyway, with no help from me, yay!

"I have my moments." Lorne grinned sheepishly when the car came to a stop. There were helicopters all over the place and now that we weren't moving their sound was clearer and much closer than I'd thought.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"Remind me never to ask you what the plan is." I grouched following behind Angel as he led us through the sewers. Man did it _smell_ down there! "So… pod people?" I asked looking at Lorne. He was lagging behind just like the others though they were trying their best to keep up with our fearless leader.

"Yup, plenty of them while you were taking the nap." He puffed with a faint smile. "Fredikins bopped one in the face too."

"Wow," I looked at Fred who blushed, embarrassed by the comments but I gave her a thumbs up. "'Bout time we had another girl kicking ass in the group. I was feeling lonely."

"You've been kicking ass since day one." Gunn muttered.

"Aww you still feeling that?" I asked with fake sympathy. It was this thing we did, Gunn and I, try and get on each others nerves. It really didn't bother me, usually and most of the time we were actually nice to each other but I guess right now this was better, this kept him from thinking too much on how fucked up our world was and how much bad was being shoveled down our respective throats.

Lorne was panting, definitely exhausted.

"Yeah, I'm movin', Angel cakes. Might not look like it, but inside, where it counts, I'm runnin'. Full speed ahead, believe me."

I couldn't help the snort of laughter at that. I mean _inside_ running full speed? He really does have a funny bone.

"It won't take them long to figure out—." I gave him a meaningful look but it wasn't needed since he could see for himself that they needed a rest.

"One minute."

"Hey I got a question." Gunn said from his slumped pose against the dirty sewer wall. "How come she aint breathin' hard?" he hooked a finger in my direction. "How come she aint even tired?"

"That's cuz I'm a girl." I winked at him knowing that would get him huffing and puffing. "I got more stamina." And right then I meant it in more than just the regular everyday kinda way. I was talking kinky-get-my-way-sex-kind-of-way. His eyes bugged out just a bit and I did laugh.

Still the moment didn't last because everyone wanted to know what the plan was and Angel had no idea. After everything that had happened I couldn't blame him for feeling out of it but as long as we all agreed we weren't eating rats I was good with whatever else they decided.

"Cordelia." Wesley's voice was low; I didn't think anyone else had heard it.

"I can't believe I almost forgot about her."

Way to go Fred, bring down the troops just when they start getting some hope.

"Do it." Angel was unusually harsh. "Forget about her. We all have to now. We don't have a choice."

I count myself among those looking at him like he'd grown an extra head. I mean he left Connor behind but that was the kid's choice and he leaves Cordy behind but she's not easy to sneak out of the Hyperion especially in her condition but now he's telling them to forget she even existed.

Where'd the love go?

"Minute's up."

Once again we were on the move and I doubted Angel didn't hear the conversation his followers were having just a couple of paces behind him.

"I know, kitten. It's strange, but under that blood-feeding creature of the night facade, he seems a bit heartless lately."

"Hey-."

"Hearts get in the way."

"Hearing as good as ever, though, boss!"

I just rolled my eyes and let it slide. But Angel had other plans and I'm guessing it was time for another 'pep talk'. God, I really hoped this would be better than the last one. Still, he was asking them to forget about those they loved and I couldn't help but think of Ryan, Bastían, my Dad… would I be able to leave them behind? Forget about them, pretend they'd never existed? How did you erase the memories?

"Still, I miss her. I miss the warmth and the knowing what's right and that you're doing it just by loving her."

"Tough drug to kick cold turkey."

"I remember the first time she took me aside at that fight at the bowling alley. Me, pale, frail Winfred Burkle, sitting with a goddess, and she was asking me what her name should be. "

"Seems strange now. A being of her immeasurable age. You think she'd already have a name."

"Well, maybe it was embarrassing, like Hester or Peanut."

"Would you all stop feeling sorry for your selves? Beating the bitch is going to be hard enough as it is but if you're all down in the dumps moping over the loss of- of _lies_ then you might as well go back up right now and leave the fighting to those who can do it." I glared at them, the whole bunch of whiny-.

"Like you?" Gunn glared.

"Hey, I'm not the one un-able to suck it up." I snapped. Maybe it was harsh-hell, I know I was harsh by saying that but they were no good if they kept longing for the lies. "You wanna feel sad about not being lied to anymore go ahead. I prefer the harsh reality even if the truth does hurt li-."

"Angel!"

The loud crash as the floor gave way had all of us running to the large hole where Wes was hanging on for dear life.

I didn't wait for the others to check for Angel I just hopped into the abyss looking in of course. It wasn't that far and I managed to land in a half crouch just to Angel's left. That's when the group of kids surrounded the others pointing sharp sticks.

"Wes?" Angel called up, one hand reaching for mine as I stood and moved to his side. I couldn't take my eyes off the kids. I heard Wes call down that he was ok when the older of the boys jabbed his stick towards us and the others.

"No. You're not alright 'till I say you're alright. Holly, you good?"

"Yep." The blond girl replied and I just kept wondering if these kids had something to do with Jasmine but they didn't do that weird Jasmine voice and they looked normal.

"Trip, that ugly-ass beastie so much as breathes wrong, you stick him." The boy ordered.

"Ugly ass—hey!" apparently Lorne wasn't taking to the kids especially when they kept insulting him but he did look just a bit scary only I knew better, now.

Suddenly Angel leapt up and yanked the stick from the boy.

"That's my cue." The floor opened up under my feet sucking me into the stone a lot faster than before and then I was looking up at the fight… if it was even that. One of the kids came close; all I had to do was stick out my hand and…

"Aah-!"

' _Gotcha.'_ He struggled like a drowning child. _'Hush, it's alright. This is normal…'_

"Enough! Enough. Phade?"

Once again that was my cue and taking the boy with me we stepped out of the wall.

"You ok?" he asked the kid in front of him, extending a hand to help him up.

"Yeah." He stood looking at me warily because I was still holding the boy to me but if I let go he'd fall and it was my fault he was all wobbly.

"It's ok. They're not under her power."

Questions abounded and most of them- the ones having to do with me- weren't asked I couldn't be sure but I thought it had to do with fear. There was a time when I didn't mind being feared but these were just kids. I didn't like having them afraid of me, not kids…

As it turns out one of the boys knew Gunn and Gunn knew his older brother. Golden, the boy who'd started the fight led us through some tunnels to their hidey-hole. It was funny to think a little twelve year old boy had stolen Gunn's ride but that's what'd happened. As it turned out we weren't the only ones in the sewers. Something else was taking these kids out one by one and I for one wanted to get it and make it pay for what it had done so far.

The alcove was grated and fenced off. I followed Angel around as he checked the grates looking unconvinced as to their stability.

"I'll re-enforce them." I whispered and stepping around him stuck my hand into the wall around the grates. Bringing my hands together made the stone swirl over the metal grate until it was completely covered.

"It's ok. All the other ways in are grated off. We checked." Golden said to our backs.

"Well, now I'm checkin'." Angel ground out. He ignored my slight frown and kept walking with me trailing until all the grates were re-enforced. I heard the conversation going on; these kids had been fighting when the sun was down. The whole time I was worrying over Guy getting bit, turned or killed these kids were dying. They'd been fighting and dying…

' _Their light extinguished for ever…'_

"They're your crew, aren't they? You're the leader. I'm Matthew." I looked over my shoulder seeing the little boy I'd taken for a swim. He kept glancing at me nervously and kept his distance. I offered a soft smile hoping it didn't scare him away. He really was too young for this…

While Angel washed his hands, washed Connor's blood from them I listened to the kids talk about how they fought as log as they could, trying to hold their ground, keep people safe. They set traps and check them everyday which is how Tommy got taken out by that thing. The only food they had was from a store that miraculously hadn't been burned down. They found Mathew in La Brea about to get sucked by the vampires who'd decided to have a picnic by setting up a pile up. The boy had seen too much for his age. His parents killed in front of him…

Sebastián… how would he deal with my choice if I should die? I hadn't even spoken to him or my Dad. Ryan would be angry, he'd probably want to kill me all over again if I died trying to fight those other ones. Come to think of it they didn't have a name; at least I hadn't found one. The books just referred to them as _They._

These kids thought it as worse up top and right now they weren't half wrong. "But the world isn't coming to an end. So it does matter where you go."

"It doesn't matter." Golden cut in. "Whatever that evil son-of-a-bitch is, it killed our people, killed my brother. We're gonna kill him right back."

"It's weird, really, us running into you like this. I mean, we—we're professional monster killers." Fred looked around looking sad. "Or we were."

"Are, Fred. We are." Angel said picking up a sword. Funny thing to just have lying around but since it belonged to Golden's brother maybe it wasn't so weird.

"Well, now it belongs to me. Let's go get professional on this evil son-of-a-bitch's ass." Angel growled in a harsh voice. Seeing him with the sword and the kiddies with their sticks I kinda thought we weren't evenly matched.

"Heard that..."

And just to make things a little more even…

"Anyone want one for themselves?" I asked sticking both hands into the wall and coming back with my own version of stone swords. They were a little nicer than the one Xyne made back at the cave in Monte Rio. Thinking about that little side-trip had me wondering if the Winchester's were ok. Were they still hunting or were they under Jasmine's all peace and love spell? Dean would be royally pissed off once we got rid of _it_ but it would be fun to see him being all goofy-lovey.

"How-." Gunn shook his head and just accepted the stone sword I handed him. I made a couple of lighter ones for the kids and Fred.

We were looking for Wes. Yup, the kiddies had their fight and seeing Angel in vamp face had Mathew running. I couldn't blame him, not since he saw his family killed by vampires and having Angel come after him in full vamp mode didn't help get the boy to stop. We still hadn't heard from Fred and Gunn who took off after him.

Maybe I could find them… I mean swimming through stone was like when you swam in water and sound carried in water… it made sense that sound would carry through the stone and hadn't I heard voices when I'd been in there before.

"Uh-uh, Dracula. Not ok."

I turned with a frown looking away from the stone wall to find Golden holding his sword to us. That was not why I gave it to him.

"Hey, you've got the wrong evil beastie here. Angel's a champion for the Powers That Be and that sword I gave you was meant to be used on a non-Champion. Either you put it down or I take it away."

"I'd like to see you try." He snarled obviously pissed off at what he thought was our betrayal.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." My eyes flashed silver gray, I could tell because he yelped in shock and everything around me was washed in a silver light. The stone sword crumbled in his hand, the grains floating about as if carried by a breeze. They swirled around him twice before they pooled over my palm until I had a nice sized baseball, made of stone of course.

"Aah!" the boy exclaimed moving back a pace and pointing. His mouth worked but no words came though his eyes bugged at sight of the three of us. Lorne the green demon, Angel the vampire with a soul though Golden didn't know that and then me, only he had no idea what I was.

"You think I didn't see that back there? You're one of 'em." He finally got out.

"Uh, Golden, it's not like that." Angel tried though he was doing a bad job of not looking guilty.

"Yeah, he's telling the truth." Lorne jumped in while I stood and tossed the stone baseball up watching them try and explain this.

"Excuse me. Not talkin' to horned demon, talkin' to vampire. Thank you."

"Alright, what you saw, yes, I can't deny that, but—."

"But he only drinks pig's blood!"

"Lorne..."

"Well, it's true! You gotta give an undead fella points for that, right, huh? I mean, unless you're into the whole kosher thing, but, I mean, you're not— well, you don't look—." Just then Golden pushed a sharp pointy stick towards Lorne.

What?

I can't do shit about sticks, had it been made of stone then….

"OK, horned demon shutting up."

"Look, I don't blame you for feelin' this way, but I'm not gonna justify my existence to you. I wouldn't be able to. But what I can do is take that spear away from you and snap it into kindling and break your neck in half the time it would take for you to give it a good push. Or you can step aside and let me go help my friend."

Wow, Angel was on roll today.

"Good visual, really helps the 'I'm not a big bad vampire' image." I couldn't help the answering smile as Angel threw a glare at me over his shoulder.

"We need to look for Wes."

"Don't forget Fredikins and Gunn." Lorne added with a small wave for the kiddies.

"Don't worry about Fred and Gunn." I said moving to the wall. I touched it and the tips of my fingers melted in. I trailed them in the stone leaving ripples all along the wall listening.

" _Matthew_ _! You sure he went this way?"_

" _Definitely heard splashin'. It's gotta be him."_

" _Unless it was another one of those skittering creatures."_

" _Yeah, well, it better skitter its hindquarters outta my way, 'cause I ain't in the mood."_

" _Or it could just be rats."_

" _Now what did you have to go and say that for? Damn!"_

" _Sorry, I wasn't— I'm sure if it's not Matthew then it's probably some horrible monster, but definitely not—."_

"He doesn't like rats." I mumbled with a half smile.

" _You heard Angel. Feelings don't enter into it anymore."_

" _That the world we're fighting for? The right to be heartless, an uncaring shell? To be dead inside?"_

" _We're gonna be dead, period, if Jasmine gets a hold of that kid. We're fightin' for our survival."_

" _That's not enough, Charles, not for me. May-maybe you can turn off your feelings like Angel can, leave the people we care about behind."_

" _Yeah, well, you had no trouble turnin' off your emotion chip when—."_

" _When what?"_

" _Nothin'."_

" _What were you gonna say?"_

" _Forget it."_

"Personal…" I frowned not wanting to hear their break up fight and moved away from their tunnel still looking for Wes. I could hear Lorne in the background talking to the kids like they were, well kids only not so bright. I wondered how he got started on his little lecture on why they shouldn't use mean words like ugly-ass and beastie…

"He's not far." I turned to Angel and almost forgot what I was going to say. He was just… there was so much _light_ … I had to squint in order to get a glimpse of his face and then Lorne- he wasn't as brightly lit as Angel but there was an inner light coming off him as well and the kids.

' _The Light…'_

"He's… in trouble." I said pushing the words past as I tore my eyes away from them. "Take the sword, watch out for the demon."

"Phade?" Lorne took a step in my direction but I held a hand up for him to stop. I went back to the stone and listened to the demon.

" _Other world. Older world. You go. Go on. Use my key. Visit. What we breathing there burn out little mouse lungs before you can make a peep."_

I got a glimpse of it, flashes of empty gray skies. Mountains and rocks with an abyss you couldn't begin to measure and then… more like it. Every where, they were everywhere-.

" _Mmm, this blood magic. Flesh magic. Older than words. More much power. This magic she will hear. She will hear and remember her true ones… No words. She gives no care about words. Word magic."_

"Aah." I clutched at my head with both hands feeling the silver fade but the bloody images were blindingly clear.

' _Ish takedi og vai meld'in. Ahsahd vai'me lign it raihgn!'_

"It will die." The words hissed past my throat, anger boiling in my veins at the dead Fury's this thing- things had killed in order to give praise but before I could leave, the conventional way, to tear this thing to bits both Gunn and Fred arrived with Matthew.

"Gunn, I'm not liking what I'm not hearing. What did you do to my boy?" Golden yelled.

"Son, there's a whole new world of bad going on upstairs, and your boy was walking into it blind. Now, we did what we had to, and frankly, I ain't interested in your opinion on the subject!"

"We need to go." I had that sick feeling again but it wasn't as bad. "Now-."

Matthew chuckled then laughed out loud, but it sounded more like a woman's laugh. The little blond girl moved towards him tentatively.

"Matty? Honey?"

"That's not him." I growled grabbing Fred's arm.

"Oh, no."

"Yeah." I tugged her towards the exit when that nauseating voice filled the sewer.

"I see you! Holly, look what they did to Matthew. They hit him again and again until he lost all consciousness. He just wanted to see the sun."

"Fred, Lorne, time to go." Gunn pushed us further away grabbing Lorne as he went.

"Golden, my love, don't you want to hit them? Don't you want to kill them?" Jasmine's voice prodded and the pounding in my head intensified.

"You know... that just might make my whole damn day."

"Now!" I yelled grabbing onto Lorne while Fred kept a death grip on Gunn's arm. We sank into the stone as the kids lunged towards us.

" _I know I promised but this was an emergency."_ I could feel their annoyance though it was mostly fear but I brought them out falling to my knees just as soon as the last bit of them left the stone.

"Thought we told you never to do that again." Gunn grouched leaning on the cold stone.

"Drastic measures," I panted. "For drastic times."

"We gotta move." Gunn said pushing off and looking in each direction. We were at an annex with four different choices.

"Ennie, meenie, mynie…" I mumbled getting to my feet. Trying to swim with four wasn't much easier.

"Moe." Fred pointed and with heavy sighs we entered the tunnel.


	5. Chapter 5

We were running with no idea of where we were heading. I was feeling it, the burning in my legs, in my lungs- it was getting harder to draw in a breath. This must be what it's like to be a smoker…

"Aah!" Fred's cry served to pull me out of my fog and focus on our current predicament. Looking up I couldn't help the groan of- was it … despair?

"Oh God."

My sentiments exactly. Not the best sight even in a sewer…

"There's more." Lorne shuffled closer to my side, he didn't like the swimming but I imagine dying by mob was higher on his list of dislikes.

"We gotta keep moving." Gunn ordered and he'd get no argument from us.

"Preferably away from the mob." Lorne added gently taking my arm and starting to edge away from the group of psychos stalking towards us. The last free minds in all of Los Angeles… if you didn't count Ryan and the Hell's Angels and my Dad or Sebastiá- no, can't think of them now.

"You might want to run," No one else stopped when they were tired and I wasn't going to be the one to hold us back so I straightened up and pulled away from Lorne. He let go of my arm as I stepped forward.

"Now." The others moved past me, Fred looking frightened, though confused as to why I wasn't running with them.

"Phade-."

"Run." I didn't look back, I couldn't. My focus had to be on what needed doing and keeping the mob back was the goal. I just felt so… tired.

"Connor."

Oh yeah, there he was right smack in the center, leading the mob. I shouldn't be surprised; who else did I expect it to send for us?

"Daddy dearest." He didn't smile and he'd be furious in a second.

I reached to the wall, my fingers easily dipping into the stone. The flash of silver gray coated everything. I didn't have time to be frightened by how heavy and sluggish it all felt. My fingers clutched at the stone and as I swung my arm out a thin sheet of stone slid across. I could feel them start to run but my wall was getting thicker.

"Phade!"

The pain came sharp and so fast there was nothing I could do to minimize or block it. The pounding in my head was so intense I could hardly be blamed for loosing my lunch, only I hadn't eaten so that's always a good thing… that so came out wrong-.

"Phade!" I felt hands pulling on me, felt them warm- carrying me along as we moved.

"She doesn't look good."

I tried telling them I'd be fine, it was just a little headache, (no need to worry them with how bad it really felt), nothing a good nights sleep or a moments rest wouldn't fix. Of course, I didn't know if that's all it would take.

"… there's blood…"

Who was bleeding? Why-how did they get hurt in the first place? Wouldn't that just- God, que suerte! I didn't remember there being anything sharp aside from our swords and those were gone.

"…her nose… Phade?"

"Me?" I touched a shaky hand to my face and sure enough my fingers got sticky. Now wouldn't it be gross not to mention hilarious to find them covered in boogers?

Beautiful imagery huh?

I had to blink my eyes into focus and staring back at me a bright red glob.

"Oh, I never had one of these before." And I hadn't. I just wasn't that delicate; of course, with my life at the Hyperion now I got a lot bloodier than I ever did growing up. I just never bled just to bleed…

"Guess there's always a first, huh?"

My eyes focused on Gunn; a little surprised he'd voiced my thought exactly. Talk about mind readers, he could definitely pass.

"Cupcake, love your gorgeous tan but right now you're looking a tad on the yellow side." Lorne's voice was shakier than usual; he just wasn't made for the fighting which is why he'd left Pylea in the first place. Well, that and the non-singing population.

"You taking pot shots at me already?" my sudden sluggishness wasn't helping even though I tried the snarky comments; it just wasn't working for me today. To make things worse my feet kept getting tangled up, I almost knocked us down.

"Hold up." Gunn stopped us, Lorne and Fred propped me up against the pipes and I could start to feel the shaking in my leg muscles lessen.

"Just gimme a sec." I breathed leaning over just a bit. Breathing had never seemed so hard and I wasn't a runner- odio correr, the worst torture anyone could contrive for me.

"Thought you had more stamina."

I looked at Gunn, was he getting smart with me? First Lorne's making digs at me and now him? My usual answer, some smart ass remark, took a moment to think up and then… "You try swimming in stone with four other people, reinforcing grates or building walls-." Ok, so not a great come back but hey, a little out of it here.

"Uum, guys," Fred came back fidgeting nervously which is normal for her so there was no tingling spider sense going off. "I think, umm-."

"Minutes up, Phade." Gunn grabbed my arm and pulled me up, kinda harsh, I thought. "We gotta move." He didn't even look at me as he said it. I looked over my shoulder and barely caught a glimpse of what had them all worked up before Gunn literally yanked me into motion. There wasn't much I could do but go along. Not that I wanted to stay behind…

"Faster, faster, much faster!" Lorne exclaimed pumping right past me and Gunn. It was funny or I would have laughed at how his voice rose with each word if it weren't for the mob of crazies running behind us.

"Angel!"

"Oh God, are we dead yet?"

I wanted to laugh, of course we weren't dead. We wouldn't be running from a psycho mob.

"Guys!" up a head Angel came out of a door and waved to us. His face changed, not the bumpy fangy look with the yellow eyes usual, this was more a shocked wide eyed look, well, that's not usually a good sign.

So what do I do?

"Hurry."

That's what I tell them and pull away from Gunn. The mob somehow doubled in size and they were really pounding the pavement to get at us.

"Phade-."

"Move!" I think the yelling helps when you want to make a point in a hurry but the mob at our backs, which now is my front, helps cut down with the arguing.

"We can't leave her!"

"Girl knows what she's doing."

I certainly appreciated her concern and Gunn's vote of confidence, if he hadn't been talking outta his ass.

One last look over my shoulder to make sure they were all safe behind Angel… no sign of Wesley.

I shook my head slightly when Angel started to close the door and come to my side. He hesitated but stopped then the silver gray light coated everything and once more, Angel glowed so bright I had trouble making out his form.

"I'll slow them down."

"Don't be long." Angel's voice echoed in the tunnel but the sentiment was obvious and appreciated. Maybe I had found a home after all.

"Be right in." and now to work…

"No words, no word magic…" Wes mumbled to himself. He barely noticed the others run into the demons lair. The sphere in his hands captured his attention and everything the demon said played in his mind.

"Angel, its Connor." Fred exclaimed turning to face the vampire. Gunn and Lorne stood aside, the green demon catching his breath. "He's here."

"I know." He could smell their fear, her big eyes shifting nervously looking to each of them expectantly. Lorne straightened, his head turning to survey their 'new digs' and fixing on the closed door.

"Uh and the National Guard I think."

"Phade!" Fred exclaimed again. "We left her out there, Angel." She rushed to the door, ready to help one of their own. Fred just couldn't deal with loosing more people- friends…

"No!" Angel snaked an arm around her waist easily sweeping her away from the door. "No, Fred."

"But she's alone and bleeding- she's-." Fred's eyes welled with tears, her mind pushing forward all the bad thoughts she'd been trying no to think of, of Angel being all evil again…

"She's hurt?" he turned to the door, moving around Fred, intending to open it but stopped short. "She said she'd be here." And he had to believe Phade would come through. He hoped it was true… It was a wonder Phade stuck around with the way every one seemed to disregard her presence. Angel knew he'd caused enough problems in her personal life, with Ryan, with her father, even Sebastián was suffering.

Fred and Gunn were so involved with themselves they paid no attention to anyone else and Wes-, after the past year and everything with Connor-. Angel knew there was something wrong between them, Wesley and Phade. She'd stuck by Wes' side when the others had sided with Angel. She refused to let any of them sway her thinking-, loyalty… that's what she'd said.

"Phade!" Lorne's shocked exclamation had the vampire moving into action. He reached the door as the sweet copper scent reached his nostrils.

"Sweetie are you ok?"

From the stone floor a gentle ripple surrounded Phade as her body sluggishly rose from the gray pool. With a tentative hand Gunn reached to her, his fingers wrapping around her upper arm and pulling her further. Angel helped, easily getting her to stand though she swayed unsteadily and the smell of blood grew stronger.

"You're hurt." He stated with concern.

"N-no-o." Phade wobbled on her feet and griping her arm tighter Angel noticed the red streak on her upper lip and the smudge across her cheek.

"What happened?" he asked while raking his eyes over her. He could see no wounds anywhere.

"Put up another wall." She replied smiling crookedly. The sound of her heart beating rapidly drew a frown on Angel's face. He could see her color was off. The normally golden tint to her skin had yellowed considerably and dark circles had formed around her eyes. The pinkish smears under her nose the only real color to her face.

"Angel, I got it!" Wesley exclaimed but the bright bolts of light drew all eyes to the swirling ball of light in his hand.

"Ok, let's go." Angel ordered moving forward, his arm still around Phade.

"No! We can't go- that things atmosphere will kill us."

Angel stopped, his eyes looking at them.

"I can't." he'd left his son behind, kicked him out of his home, he'd let Cordy go… but he couldn't bring himself to leave them.

"You have to. Someone who knows the truth has to live… that's you, Angel."

"Hearts get in the way, right?" Fred added. Her face reflected her hope, and the encouraging nod she offered… everyone jumped as the door reverberated in its frame. Gunn ran to it putting his body as another barrier.

"But-." Angel hesitated; he couldn't just leave abandon them…

 _"It's alright, Angel."_ Phade's soft voice echoed in his mind. He turned to her sharply, lips puling back in a snarl to find her- silver eyed and smiling gently. _"You're the Champion. You have to go."_

Fred and Lorne passed by him, moving to help keep the door closed.

"Here." Wesley tossed him the sphere. Angel caught it, his eyes going to Phade once more. He could see she was tired yet fear was oddly absent from her scent. Hers was heavy with exhaustion.

"Hurry back oh fearless leader." Phade said with a smile. "We'll be waiting."

Angel paused; he could see from her expression that she meant it. He had to come back, they were counting on him, the entire world was at stake. With a sharp nod Angel turned and disappeared into the swirling lights.

"We can't hold it." Wes stated, his words punctuated by another thud against the door which had all four bouncing. Phade didn't like the sound of defeat in his voice. She could see the others; they were close to giving up.

 _'I said we'd be waiting for him and I'm not going to have Angel come back to find us all dead.'_

"Yes," Phade moved towards the door gray eyes flashing. "We can." Her hands dipped into the stone around the door. It swirled lapping at the frame until it covered the edges. The insistent pounding lessened considerably with her help. Fred stepped back her mouth forming a little 'o' of wonder.

Phade stumbled, a fresh trickle of blood staining her upper lip. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground with a piercing pain behind her eyes.

"Phade!" Fred knelt by her side, a cold hand pushing a heavy lock of hair away from Phade's face.

"I'm sorry." Phade murmured before her eyes closed and she slumped against Fred's shoulder.

"Oh God, Phade."

"She's not-." Lorne didn't finish his thought; instead he knelt beside both girls and checked for a pulse. He sighed, a relieved breath bowing past his lips.

"Strong. Just needs a little rest." But he wasn't sure about that, he couldn't even say how long she'd be out.

"For the moment we're fine." Wes surveyed the door. "We should be ok…"

"Girl has skills." Gunn asserted.

 _"Ish me va Kai."_

The words, so soft, at first I didn't think I'd heard her. She smiled leaving me confused and then her words registered.

 _"Afraid?"_

What did I have to be afraid of? Not Jasmine, who'd be afraid of a demon able to control the entire world with 'love'. Why would I be afraid of the mob? All they'd do is tear us limb from limb, no big and why would I be afraid of never seeing my family again? So no. I don't have anything to be afraid of.

 _"Wake up."_ Her eyes shimmered silver as she spoke.

 _"There's work to be done, yet."_ Xyne smiled, serene if not a bit amused.

 _"Work? What work, Xyne…"_ but that insistent pounding kept intruding and she was gone.

"Phade?" Fred's voice echoed somewhere above and the closer I listened the more my body screamed its aches and pains. Mainly, it was my brain doing a banshee scream because, well, I'm not exactly sure why…

"Phade? She's waking up guys."

"What's all the fuss?" I grumbled and then winced as I found light piercing my retinas. I know, underground in a sewer how much light can there be? Let me say, practically none but that's how sensitive my eyes turned out to be.

"Fuss? Who says fuss anymore?" Gunn looked towards Lorne and the demon cast an uncomfortable look to me- or rather to my less than cushy cushion.

"Right. My bad."

"You ok?" Fred asked with concern.

"Como nueva." I replied sitting up. Fred helped push me upright and after a moment in which my head took it upon itself to tell me how 'unhappy' it was with what I'd been doing-.

"Wes!" Gunn's sharp tone called everyone's attention. I looked up as both men put their backs to the door which is what was making all that pounding noise.

"We can't hold it." Wes stated. I could see the apology in his eyes and then the crumbling cracks as my work came undone.

"Honey, maybe extenuating circumstances…" Lorne began with a sickly look. I knew what he was asking even though they'd all said no.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure I'd get us all out the way I'm feeling…" each one looked at me as though I was refusing to help but I couldn't risk killing them. We could all get stuck in the stone, melded into it-. "I cou- maybe one at a time…"

"No." Wes cut in. "You're not strong enough."

My eyes turned to the widening cracks and the light piercing through the frame. It was all coming undone, more and more with each hit.

"Guess it wasn't enough." And yet the grates in the kid's lair had been solid. Now I had more questions, like was I running out of ammo?

"Time for the big fight scene." Gunn replied stepping away from the door. "On 3. 1-."

He never finished, before he could get past two the door burst open and framed in its center, Connor.

I swear the kid had this- this thing, this…evil aura all glowy and grinning.

The mob rushed in, like a swarm and I lost sight of the others. Standing I dropped the first two crazies. They all had that nauseating stench, her mark but I refused to let it slow me down any more than I already was. I don't know how long the fight lasted, seconds or minutes- it all felt the same, interminable time.

My hands were covered in blood, they got slippery, slid off the locos and somewhere I heard Fred. I grabbed another one and sent it flying. Fred's little mob went down under my 'bowling ball'.

"Was that a strike?" of course no one answered; doubt they thought it was funny. The mob was busy trying to kill us.

I noticed Wesley and Gunn holding their own with pipes. Gunn actually whacked a lady upside the head. The real kicker though, she got up. Bloody head and all, the lady got up and smiled as she went after Gunn.

I had my own to deal with and then the civi's were backed by uniforms, all of them with shiny black weapons of the deadly kind.

"Charles!" Fred's scream echoed but I found her again. A couple of crazies blocked my way and none of us was getting to her in time. I'd seen her elbow a man in the face, broke his nose. She might look all timid and mousy but Fred has her dark side, I think we all do. I was having trouble holding mine in. Hurting just felt so good, others I mean, not me in pain, that's never nice.

The little crowd around me was getting bigger and seeing as how there were too many to get out of the way I decided on one better. They all latched on, tried to hold me still and I let them. There were at least five, all holding me with more attached to them. I'd be taking down a whole bunch of crazies. The flash of silver light bathed them all and their screams echoed as I sunk.

That's how I left hem, all partially immersed in the stone. This wasn't 'swimming', I didn't want to do that again especially with so many and once in the stone I pulled away. It wouldn't have been so bad, their pain was hers, that's why the lady with the busted head got up and went again.

Jasmine was healing them all.

I just- I never expected her to leave them. The ones I sunk, maybe it was too much- either way the fight continued above. Fred was down and so was Gunn. I was more surprised to see Lorne still whacking away with his hockey stick.

Wesley, well from what I'd heard at Buffy's he'd come a long way from the geeky Watcher she remembered. I couldn't picture him all un-comfy and awkward. He was very much a man, confident and sure of himself, a reliable source of information with a certain… allure, I guess. There was this haunted look in his eyes, a sort of melancholy that pulled on you...

I know what you're thinking; 'This chic's off her rocker. She's got a hunky hubby who likes to live adventurously plus he's watching her kid and hanging with the father-in-law. What's wrong with her?'

Tell you what, nothing's wrong with me. I love Ryan. I know he's doing much more than he needs to. Except right now they need me. This is where I need to be- and Wes needs help.

I reached out and grabbed a set of legs which immediately sunk in the stone. I let go to a whole lotta screaming and repeated the process a few more times. When I rose I stood beside Wes.

"Need some help?" there were a couple of civi's left, all of them on Wes who was doing ok with the pipe.

I was a little busy myself; a group of four crazies seemed to think I was their personal punching bag. It was easy to see this wasn't going to work and dipping into the stone wasn't an option. I was already feeling the pounding in my temples start up. These nuts were hitting hard, too. Of course, stone is harder and after a moment of straight pounding the only blood was theirs.

"Ouch?" looks like they didn't appreciate my funny. They charged, maybe they thought it would work, who knows, Jasmine was in control.

The first, an older man, swung at my head. He didn't react as his arm snapped and I bashed his head into the woman behind him. There was a sort of 'pop' like when you finally get a lid open on a can, neither got up. I tried not to think of what I was doing, of the families these people were leaving behind. I wasn't the only one who… their blo-, we were all to blame.

The silvery light began to thicken and the pounding in my temples had nothing to do with the people getting in some hits. I grabbed onto one and sank. I didn't know what else to do but there was more than one and it hurt. Everything hurt- I let go and came up again. When the fog cleared I saw Lorne laid out beside me. I stumbled to my feet searching for the others and found were Gunn lay knocked out, Fred on the ground, a barrel aimed at her face and then Wes. He stood alone still fighting until Connor faced him.

It moved slowly, time; Connor with the sword point down for the moment. Wes taking a step back, chest heaving as he drew in another breath… I was so slow, like pouring out molasses.

Connor raised the sword, any moment he would strike and I was stuck pushing, hitting, breaking my way through to try and stop it. We were all dead, I knew it but I couldn't just… I had to try.

 _'Their light extinguished…'_

I had to try.

"NO! Connor-!" he threw Wesley, much to my relief, not that this was better but at least there was still a chance he'd live a little longer.

Wes hit the far wall but I couldn't get to him, not with Connor in my way.

"You have to stop."

"No, I don't." he raised the sword, a cold smile on his young face. In that moment I could see Angelus in him. The demon Angel fought so hard to contain…

"I know, she's yours and it feels… Connor, he does love you."

Why is it so hard?

Why do the Powers That Be insist on making life unbearable for these two?

They give Angel a son; show him what it's like to be a Father, to care for a small innocent being, his own flesh and blood- probably the only thing he never thought to wish or expect to have. Then it's taken away. Stolen from him, ripped out the most human part-. It hurts to see your child care more for some one else, to have them hate you, want you dead and go so far as to try it. Try and kill you… but Angel still does his best to earn Connor's love. The one thing he rightfully deserves.

"Shut up!"

I caught his sword arm; he looked so lost beneath the anger. I can't help but wonder if we aren't all lost…

"I'm not listening to your lies."

"Good," I pushed him off. "Because I'm not lying." I made a grab for the sword and missed. He'd swing it, I knew he would. Connor'd end up taking a limb if he didn't kill me first.

The sword slashed across and my arm instinctively rose to block my head. I felt the sharp blade cut into my arm and the resounding 'ping' as it bounced off.

I know I screamed.

I was scared, almost lost my arm here!

The coat of leftover stone flaked off and the thin red line where the sword managed to cut began to ooze blood. Not a lot but it definitely stung.

"You little shit."

He grinned at me which confusing, I just called him a shit, he should be pissed and then the cocking of the semi auto shed some light on the grin.

Dying had never been an issue.

I mean, I never really though of it, mine anyway. A couple of daydream fantasies of Dante six feet under but considering our less than happy past… well, who would blame me?

The year I spent with the Hell'sAngel's, there was plenty of opportunity for dying but I never thought of it.

I know, it doesn't make sense. After all that happened when I was younger, the things I saw and the- what happened… in the caves and after-.

It had been years since that, it got easy to pretend that hadn't happened. I believe it's called denial and some would say that's a river in Egypt.

But with the Hell'sAngel's - when you're in the thick of things, or shot with a poison bullet, and death, at least your personal mortality, just doesn't come up.

Something's wrong isn't it?

I turned around slowly. The bright light in my face was blinding and I had to squint. The soldier moving towards me wasn't in the National Guard uniform; come to think of it some of them looked a lot like my baby brother's friends. They'd traipse about all proud in their cami's…

"Guy?"

It couldn't be him. He wasn't supposed to be in Los Angeles anymore. He was back on base doing his 'special thingy' like Gia said last time I'd called.

 _"He's mine."_

The light clicked, shutting off and there- a smile on his face…

"Guy."


	6. Chapter 6

"No!" Wes reached out a hand as if that would stop the young soldier from slamming his gun into Phade's head. She didn't offer any resistance and the loud 'crack' as the metal connected with bone echoed in his head. He watched her fall, watched her body crumple, watched the blood ooze from her forehead and lie still as death.

He didn't fight as the mob dragged him to his feet, didn't speak, didn't do anything… what was the point?

 _'We're all dead.'_

He wondered if Angel- if he came back in time- would he know where to look? Would he come to save them as he had saved so many others? Most importantly, would Angel be in time?

My head was pounding and any little movement felt worse. Hot pokers shoved in my eyes or splinters stuck under my fingernails couldn't feel any harsher than this. For the moment I was happy just to lay here- lay?

Where the hell was I?

Painful as it was I cracked an eye open and found a lot more light than there could possibly be in a sewer. After a moment of swallowing my own groans of pain and getting accustomed to the vast amounts of light I finally squinted both eyes and surveyed my surroundings.

"What the hell?"

This was my suite! How the- who- what was I doing back here?

"Ya desperto."

I recognized her voice immediately and the sickening stench wafted from her as well, as if I didn't feel bad enough.

"Mayahuel-." I tried moving only to find my hands tied- err, shackle really. "Take these- aah." Who was I kidding? No way the Potential was gonna let me go. Jasmine was driving.

 _"You're awake. Good."_ Her voice- the sick one- sounded entirely too pleased.

"Gimme a sec, I think I can manage to pass out again, unless you're gonna have my baby brother smack me."

Ok, so not smart but I never said I was a genius and the bitch had- has, she _has_ my baby brother under her control.

 _"The girl will keep you comfortable, Fury. So long as you do not cause trouble."_

"Oh gee, I think we're gonna have a problem then." I snapped. All I could do was lie on my bed and look up at the ceiling.

 _"Try my patience and I will put out your light. No Guardian can save you from that."_

Now how the hell does she know what I am and about the Guardians? I looked at Mayahuel, sitting comfortably in my cushy chair by the window. The moon lit up half her face and cast the other side deep in shadow. It was eerie and her smiling only made it worse.

"You seem to know a lot." The smile never wavered, if anything it grew more smug. "Yeah, keep smiling; you know your time is up. Angel's coming back and then-."

 _"The vampire will die."_

"Sure. You know how many times I've heard that in the last three years?" there was no one able to kill him, at least not yet and not that I'd seen.

 _"Make no mistake Fury. What he seeks is not-."_

"Good for you. Yes, we all get that. What is it with you bad guys always going for the gloom and doom threat to the heroes?"

Jasmine laughed. She didn't seem the least bit upset about my jabs at her demise. I guess, when you're all powerful and have the whole of the human race at your command, one teeny tiny threat doesn't raise much of an alarm.

 _"After my address I think I'll… visit… with you first."_

Oh bad… that sounded sooo bad in so many ways…

The smile on Mayahuel's face slipped a bit and then it was just her looking at me again with those dark eyes of hers. I wondered how long it was going to take to enslave the rest of the world and then what would happen to Sebastián and the others, my Dad and Ryan, the rest of the Hell'sAngel's…

 _'Hazth'ai ahthep…'_

The soft whisper ripped away the hopelessness that had been crawling through me. I was still breathing and now awake. I could do something, anything…

I had to try and find them, the rest of AI. It would've been easier to do it like in the sewer but since I was still shackled and with no stone… well, I'd have to work the brain wave. I'm not sure how to do this but I figure if I concentrate really hard on one of them…

"Jazmin?" Mayahuel's voice sounded suddenly unsure. Turning to where she still sat I could see her face- the half lit by the moon- the poor girl looked… lost?

"Sra. Jazmin?" she stood, clearly agitated by some thing. A small hand clutched at her neckline while she faced the door.

"Que paso?" she didn't even look at me, didn't answer, didn't seem like she heard me. "Hello-o, estas sorda?"

Ok, that got a little glare, maybe some annoyance.

"No, ya veo que si me oyes-."

"Se caya. Y no se mueva." She glared; all of a sudden Mayahuel had grown some balls. She seemed to hesitate leaving me alone but as I jangled the shackles Maya caught onto the fact I wasn't going anywhere.

The door closed behind her and since I heard nothing but silence I tried to relax and focus on one. Little bits of sound- voices and conversations- drifted in and out. None of them sounded familiar…

 _"… tellite feed…"_

 _"Moscow's on-line…"_

 _"…almost envy them…"_

 _"…more alive…been here…"_

There were so many-.

 _"Cordelia's blood, it had the same power as Jasmine's…"_

Wesley. I almost got up, so happy to finally hear one of them.

 _"…Mother and daughter…"_

 _"…She's been moved…"_

 _"…don't use Cordy's blood against…"_

 _"…Not any more… Cordelia's so dangerous… why not kill her…"_

 _"…maybe she can't…"_

 _"…Hell'sAngel's weren't affected… not yet…"_

 _"How…"_

 _"…Ryan… stay away from media… web site…"_

 _"She locked 'em down?"_

 _"…better than being un-…"_

 _"Look…"_

 _"Cordy might be our…"_

 _"We have to find her…"_

 _"…and we're looking for Phade as well… she's part of Angel Inc..."_

I sucked in a deep breath feeling like I'd been drowning.

They were all alive. I didn't realize I'd been thinking they might not be. Deep down I'd been afraid of Angel's reaction, I did tell him we'd _all_ be waiting here when he got back.

 _"…stuck by me…"_

And damn, he had to go and get all honorable on me, especially now. Sighing I had no choice but to go and get them out of the cage. That had been a good idea at the time but the cage was beginning to turn into all sorts of bad. It couldn't keep Angelus confined or Cordelia from harm- you know, it wouldn't have been half bad had Angelus sucked her dry, least there'd be no 'it' enslaving mankind. Now the stupid thing was holding in the cavalry and no matter how much Gunn kept kicking at the door I doubted it would yield. Powers That Be just aren't giving us a break. Secretly, I'd been hoping to sneak some time in with Sebastián. I got him back and barely spent time with him thanks to the perpetual night we had going and once that got cleared up I send him off with my 'new' husband and his gramps.

He's gonna hate me. Si no me odia ya.

All this was making married life a lot harder and even though Ryan put on a smile and let it slide I know he's not happy. He wants more and I'm not sure that I don't…

At first I was happy; he's off with the Hell'sAngel's doing his thing while I do mine at AI. Absence makes the heart grow fonder right?

I just-. I'm too old- too set in my ways to have some guy come and order me around. My Dad never did so why should I let some one else try? Just because I signed a piece of paper doesn't mean I belong to some one. I still have a brain and know how to use it- I like my freedom. I like not having to tell some one where I'm going or what I'm doing. I pay my own bills so… men aren't something I _need_ to have. I'm self sufficient, I've been getting on fine without a man but they do come in handy certain times in the year when you just have to scratch the itch…

Ryan… oh God I've never had such a good itch as I've had with him but sometimes… sometimes I'm afraid I'll get tired of him or maybe he'll get tired of me or see that I'm not what he thought he wanted. Ryan's taken on so much in such a short time- what if I'm running him off?

"It won't matter if Angel doesn't come back."

The sound of my voice offered little comfort but I had to focus on the situation at hand instead of wallowing in self doubt.

I moved myself into a half sitting position, resting my eyes as the pounding in my temples started up. The side of my face felt hot and any move had the skin pulling tight. I grimaced at the gross image of dried blood on my face, I must really be filthy… the cut still hurt though.

"Hard as a rock…" the gray light helped me see my bedroom. It looked strangely dusty for me having been gone only two days… Both hands were now hard as rocks and at first impact echoed it as well. I tried being quiet as I pounded on the shackles glancing at the door repeatedly.

"Con una chingada…" the damn things didn't even dent and my legs were covered in dusty flakes. "Great."

I shook my hands out hearing the metal jangle and once again the only light in the room was the moon.

I lay back, resting for a moment because my temples were 'yelling' though I should've been the one complaining. I mean, what was up with my powers?

I answered, I learned to control my elements-err, one anyway and only because of Xyne. I'm still not sure I know how that happened but the Fury imparted all her knowledge on the stone to me. I wonder if that's how it's done.

The dizziness returned. I could feel them, all the adoring worshippers… it made me sick but I refused to chuck my empty stomach. I saw them all gathered in the lobby, a mass of people, cameras and news paraphernalia and in the shadows of the hallway, Mayahuel. She stood there, a smile on her innocent face… pobre nińa. With everything that had happened to her I doubt there's much she can smile about.

It pissed me off to see her face light up with that things lies. This was not a Utopian society and I wasn't just going to lie here any more.

"Fire." My eyes snapped open at the thought. "Pero que bruta." How could I not have thought of it before? All I needed was a little fire, just around my wrists. I could feel it start in my chest. The tight, breathless feeling and my skin itched. I kept my eyes on the shackles which began to glow immediately. The faint orange-red tint turned a bright yellow and then white hot. It melted, sliding off my wrists and onto my lap-.

"Aah!" I slapped at my thighs scrambling off the bed. "Fucking moron! Ah! Hot, hot, hot-hot!"

I really do have better control over the stone otherwise I wouldn't have flared up and charred a spot on my floor.

"Damn."

 ************ ««««« »»»»»»**

So I was free. My floor had a huge scorch mark and I ruined a perfectly good set of clothes. As much as I hated missing all the fun I needed to chang-err, get dressed and of course I healed the burns on my thighs. I even cleaned up my face but a real healing would have to wait until later.

I snuck down the hall as quiet as I could but with all the noise downstairs I wasn't sure they'd hear me anyway. I did catch the sound of footsteps coming my way just as I turned into the left hallway. For a moment I just stood there, unable to move and behaving like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hola." I greeted with as much of a smile as I could muster. Really, the Powers That Be weren't giving us _any_ breaks on this one and I didn't want to have to hurt the girl.

"NO se mueva!" oh great, you say hello to the mind controlled jailer and all of a sudden it's 'Don't move!'.

I really didn't want to hurt her, she's just a kid, she's lost so much and its not her fault- then again, this little Potential had been paying attention in class. She was amazingly adept for having a couple of weeks training.

"Mayahuel!" I ducked under her kick, surprised she got that close but I was more concerned with not hurting her. "Pinche chiquilla, vena qui." I grabbed her, slipping an arm across her chest and pushing her arm between us. Mayahuel pushed off the wall and we hit the one behind me with surprising force considering she's so small. My head smacked the plaster hard as I tried getting away from her head butt.

"Screw this." I grumbled shifting my hold until my arm was around her neck. She jabbed an elbow into my side but I refused to let go even though I had trouble sucking in air. I wasn't going to get smacked around by some little girl, Potential or not. It wasn't like they cared about me.

As the pressure increased Mayahuel's struggles grew weaker until she finally passed out. I waited a moment before opening the nearest door and pulled her in. The mattress in the corner tipped over easily though it raised clouds of dust. I made a face at the dirt but at least she'd be safe here. My fingers found her pulse, strong and steady so no worries on the dying.

"When you wake up, this will all be some dream." I ran a gentle hand over her hair hoping I was right. These girls were so young… children forced to grow up fast and for what? Because the Powers That Be didn't have the balls to fight their own battles?

The sudden noise outside had changed, it was louder and not in the good loud. I stepped out closing the door behind me and headed towards the lobby being careful to check the connecting halls for loonies. The cries became clearer as I got closer they sounded… "Panicked?"

That alone had me sprinting down the hall heading to the lobby. The yelling was definitely fading and I knew the quiet would be bad. No noise was always bad at least in situations like this.

"Oomph!" my back hit the wall, my elbow going through the plaster. "Ou-ow!" the sweet stench was worse than before.

"You!" looking up, there stood Jasmine, at least the real version.

"Where'd the maggots go?" granted, it's not the smartest question nor important but I was curious. Did they get scared and hide?

"You- you're all to blame!" she cried. Her rotting arm reached down easily lifting me from the floor. She had a pretty good grip on my neck. "Your kind always cause trouble. Your war means nothing; your death won't make a diff- aah!"

She dropped me real quick and finally able to drag in a breath of air I leaned on the wall.

"Cant take the heat…" I should've seen it coming. Dante always said my smart mouth would get me in serious trouble if it didn't kill me. Eh, what the hell did he know?

I heard the snap of bones and then the burning as I went through a wall. The next thing I know, I'm lying in plaster, splintered wood and covered in dust. I gotta look like a ghost and the sharp pain in my shoulder- I almost passed out again.

 _"Do you have any idea what you've done?"_

 _"What I had to."_

 _"… haven't you learned anything?... you chose this!"_

I struggled not to loose them and get up at the same time. I had to get up and help…

 _"… because that's what you took from us…"_

 _"Leave me alone."_

 _"Sorry…"_

She looked sad, even with the rotting flesh, her body and voice expressed a deep sorrow. She truly thought…

 _"You've taken everything…"_

 _"I'll die before I let you hurt anyone else."_

 _"You're already dead!"_

 _"It ends right here."_

 _"Why do you hate me so much?'_

 _"Rain of fi-… blotting out the-… enslaving mankind… you eat people!"_

 _"…how many will die because of you?..."_

 _"… Our fate had to be our own…"_

He was right about that. We had to be free to choose and while I kept raging against the Powers That Be hadn't I chosen to answer the Od VaiLumen? How were they different from each other?

 _"…I loved this world. I sacrificed everything I was…"_

 _"So you could rule us?"_

 _"Because I cared. The other Powers don't. Never really did."_

Now that was news. The Powers That Be didn't care? Then what the hell were we all doing here?

 _"I was forged in the inferno of creation… the prophecy… says in the time of the Apocalypse you'd play… major part…never knew what side whether you'd be on the side of good or evil… now you know."_

 _"This isn't my fault!"_

"Phade?"

I lost their voices, lost them…

"Phade. Damn, you look like a ghost."

I felt him grab at my arms and the pain- oh God it hurt. All because the bitch couldn't take a little fire and now this fool was trying to be helpful-.

"Get off!" he let go immediately and once more I was on my ass on the floor.

"Just lending a hand." He grumbled.

"In pain here, can't ya tell?" I snapped trying to keep from whimpering. I felt sweat trickling down my forehead and I just knew there were little tracks in my face dust. Gunn did help me up, this time staying away from my hurt and increasingly pain-filled arm. A glance at the rest of me showed white dust, couple of tears and

"Why the hell did I change in the first place?"

"New look?" Gunn asked completely straight faced. I swear, if I hadn't been in pain I would have used my arm to smack him for the not funny, funny.

"That's two sets of clothes ruined." We stepped into the hall and with his help I didn't limp so bad. "Guess the rescue is kinda pointless now."

"Rescue?" Gunn questioned. "You mean you-." He laughed. Chocolate boy laughed like it was some joke.

"I still got some fire left…" I threatened but it didn't get rid of the laughing. "Baboso."

We got to the balcony where the others were gathered.

"Love what you've done with the place." I knew that voice. I pulled away from Gunn and stumbled to the stairs where I banged my elbow. Sharp jolts of pain suffused my entire side and I couldn't help the short yelp I let out.

"Phade?" Wesley's voice drifted up sounding surprised.

"Nah, her twin." I snapped with a grimace of pain.

"What happened?" Lorne asked as Gunn helped me down the stairs. He was careful of my hurt arm.

"Not much, ran into Jasmine, she's not… happy."

"Here." Wes shoved things off the couch making room for me.

"She did this?" Fred's mousy voice sounded frightened and looking at her I found Lorne beside her. They really did look concerned.

"I might've… said… something…?"

Wes touched my shoulder and I couldn't quite contain my yelp of pain. Hey, it hurt and he got me by surprise.

"Sorry."

"No problem, but this one hurts." I'd figured out early in life there was a better way to work through the pain than crying it out. Whining was no better and neither looked pretty. I spent a lot of time laughing, not just for the funny stuff either. Scraped my knees, smacked an elbow, fell off my bike… there I was laughing instead of crying. Then I got older and laughing didn't seem to work so well in certain situations.

Sarcasm. I used it often as a teen but it came in real handy about the time I started seeing Dante. Somehow laughing at his cheating face while he had some girl on his arm- well, como que no verdad.

"…Phade, you've dislocated your shoulder…" they were talking to me and here I was spacing out.

"Perdon, yo que?" the little furrow in his brow clued me into the sudden language switch. I'd been doing it more often lately, likely because of Mayahuel-.

"Err, I can set it…" I nodded absently because I was more concerned with the girl I'd left upstairs. None of them spoke any Spanish and if she came looking for me, which I didn't doubt, there'd be all kinds of drama.

"Wait, set my… Um, okay?" the insecure look didn't faze him. He grabbed onto my wrist gently then nodded to Gunn who still sat on my other side.

"This'll hurt." He told me and like a dummy I just nodded. I mean, how bad could it be? I got knocked about by all sorts of demons and monsters, fixing my arm couldn't be as bad. "Hold her please."

Gunn tightened his hold on me and before I knew it Wes yanked on my arm. The pain came swift and sharp and I screamed.

Stupid question, that's what I get for asking a stupid question even in my head.

"All this noise for a little bump." I clenched my teeth and glared searching for the owner of that voice. "I though you were tougher, little girl."

I got up, pulling away from Gunn and Wes who tried to hold me back. The warmth I felt had nothing to do with my pain, though the throbbing in my side seemed to hurt less. As soon as I cleared Fred and Lorne I let the fire flare from my hands up to my elbows.

"We'll see if you have a higher tolerance for pain when I turn you into a flaming lump of charred evil dead!"

"Phade, wait!"

If Wes hadn't put himself in front of the skinny-. I wanted to go through him but for some reason the ex-Watcher still held a place on my good list.

"Angel!" Fred exclaimed, the relief in her voice mixed with excitement. I turned to the doors and there he stood, looking equally surprised.

"Oh, my God. You're alive."

"Hey," I frowned. "Said we'd be waiting." Hadn't I said that? I remembered saying that. Did no one listen…

"Jasmine's dead. Brought back her name and her powers were destroyed… Connor killed her." He sat on the steps. His shoulders slumped, face bruised…Angel looked- defeated.

"I've never seen him like this. He wasn't hurt or angry, he just… killed her. And his face, it- it was just blank, like he had nothing left."

As he spoke I left the skinny bitch behind. She wasn't important just then; what ever I'd suffered I was willing to put aside for the moment. Payback's a bitch and I wasn't going anywhere.

I placed my hand on Angel's shoulder trying in some way to let him know he wasn't the only one feeling- feeling- I don't even know how we feel.

"He'll be ok…" it was all I could think of to say.

"I've got a bad feeling." He shook his head. "He's just…given up. I think he's gonna do something. You know, he might-."

"End world peace?" Angel looked up sharply. He didn't move or speak. I still had my hand on his shoulder which I tightened. He knew how I felt about her- that bitch took the one thing that mattered from me and in some ways she'd done the same to him.

"Well, you already took care of that. Congratulations."


	7. Chapter 7

Lilah.

The bitch came back to the living to tempt us. She offered Wolfram and Hart. The one thing we'd been trying to destroy and now it was being handed over…

 _"Is there a reason no one's re-killing the evil skank? 'Cus I'm all for getting my hands a little dirty…"_

Because that's what I would have done. Killed her again and gone back to taking down evil but no one did. Neither did I. Nope, I just stood there listening to her talk and all I could think of was; I can have my life back.

I could use them to get my life back, my son. I could use the evil to my advantage and screw them over in the process… I don't care about me, not when there's so much more at stake and I'm not talking about the innocents here because lets face it; people get themselves in all sorts of trouble _all_ the time. We need a little chaos to function properly; we need to suffer to grow.

 _"You want to give us your evil law firm? We aint lawyers."_

 _"Or evil…Currently."_

 _"Ever."_

We've never been evil, not even with Angel going all dark or Connor… We're like everyone else, we're flawed and just because Angel's a Champion for the Powers That Be doesn't make him all white and perfect… but it was Lilah's smile that gave me a chill. She looked at me as if she knew-.

 _"And again, what's the catch?"_

 _"You earned it. Think of it as a reward for ending world peace."_

As if we weren't feeling like shit already. We did the right thing, I don't care what anyone says and I know they all believe we were right in taking down Jasmine but she had presented them with a beautiful lie…

 _"That's not what happened."_

 _"No?"_

 _"No. That's your job… or was."_

I'm thinking it still is considering they're not letting her 'rest in peace'.

 _"World peace comes at a price. Jasmine understood that. She consumed, what? Couple dozen souls-."_

 _"Now? Can I, now?"_

I so wanted to get my hands on her and rip her head off but Angel wouldn't let me and I wonder; why did I need his permission?

I hate her.

Don't usually go with the 'hate' but I really do hate her. Ojala y se quemara en el infierno por eternidad and still that wouldn't be long enough.

"…She was moving east, probably towards Cordelia. If we find Connor…"

I tuned into Wesley's plan half way through. Mayahuel had woken up and come down stairs all panicked just as Lilah left. The girl was sorry and apologized to everyone and it was Fred who took her upstairs, calming her. I was still looking like a ghost with my dusty self and the faint burning in my shoulder was the only nagging reminder that I still had to go dunk myself in the healing bath.

"What do we do once we find her?"

No one had any idea of how to bring her out of her sleep so other than making her comfortable and keeping her safe… what else?

"Kid needs a leash if you ask me." Gunn stated coming into the office.

"Ever hear of knocking?" I grumbled feeling more than a little grouchy.

"We work outward in an ever-expanding perimeter."

"Ever-expanding perimeter? That won't take weeks."

"Are you going to help or gripe?" I threw Gunn a scowl seeing as he just plopped down in the chair and shot down ideas like he was coming up them.

"You've another idea; I'm ready to hear it." Wes cut in setting his maps aside and steadily looking at Gunn.

"Cant help thinking it might cut down the work load some if we got a little help, a few extra employees, or a turnkey, state-of-the-art, multi-tasking operation."

"You've hit your head one too many, chocolate boy." I stated though deep down I couldn't help wince because hadn't I been thinking the same thing. Hadn't I been planning to use evil to help me along? Who was I to judge them for having the same idea?

"You can't possibly think that's an option." Wes sat back in his chair looking thoughtful.

"Well, now I know it's an option, 'cause I was standing right there when the dead lady offered it to us. And don't call me chocolate boy." He ordered.

Like I follow orders, Ha!

"Then start making sense." I retorted already standing up. "Don't even." I warned Gunn who had his mouth open, ready for some smart ass comment. "You boys have a nice chat, and by nice I mean Wes, please talk sense to him. I'm heading up."

I headed toward the stairs thinking I was being two faced. I expected them to maintain their 'perfect' good guy roles while I was- what? What was I going to do?

"Anyone evil?"

I looked up halfway across the lobby to the hotel doors.

"Evil ghost looking Phade, maybe?"

I could only stare at them-.

"Los Angeles doesn't look that much different. Doesn't anyone clean up around here?"

I had to be seeing things.

"I'm- I- I'm." I looked behind me to the office were Wes and Gunn sat looking at the door. I pointed at the foursome still standing at the entrance hoping they could tell me I was seeing the Hell'sAngel's.

"Is that anyway to greet your hubby, Phade?" Gunn's widening grin said he'd heard them as well. I turned around so fast I could've gotten whiplash.

"Ryan!" I threw myself at him and thank God he was expecting that otherwise we would have ended up on the floor.

"Hey baby. You been busy." He ran a gentle hand over my face and the bruises barely hidden by the plaster.

"Oh, I uh had a little run in with the 'It' and I ended up going through a wall." I smiled a bit sheepishly because well it was just stupid! She threw me through a wall!

"Are we still-?"

"Nope. Connor took care of it. We're demon free." I replied and hopped of Ryan. "Now." I looked at Oded, Oz and Tripp who looked a little too smug. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to help take down the bad guy." Tripp replied with a big goofy grin.

"Hah, cuz I thought we had a plan. The plan where all of _you_ stay put and isolated until _we_ ," and here I pointed at myself because lets face it, I'd been the only one working on killing 'it' until Angel and Fred got the gang back. "Got things under control."

"About that, you see we thought…" Tripp went off on a long windy reason why they didn't stay behind but I ignored it.

"Feel free to head up to your rooms guys. I got business to take care of." With a wink I grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him up to our home.

"Business?" he questioned reaching around and scooping me up into his arms.

"Oh yes. A little healing and then… then lots and lots of business." I whispered feeling more than happy just then. I don't think I'd realized how lonely I'd been feeling when all the Jasmine fanatics were around. Now that she was gone and everyone was back to being semi normal it was good to have Ryan here.

He came for me.

Wow, he came here for me…

 **««««« »»»»»»**

 _"PJ."_ The voice on the other end was ridden with guilt. _"PJ, I'm sorry. I didn't- I mean I did but I didn't wan-."_

"Guy, chill little brother." I couldn't help the smile. Yeah, he hit me- fucking whacked me like- like- well I don't know like what but he got me good.

 _"I'm so sorry…"_ Guy said once more, he just kept mumbling his apology-.

"Mira cabron, ya cállate." I ordered in a stronger voice. "So you hit me. You weren't yourself, you weren't the only one. A lot of people ended up dead just be happy none of us were among them. You have Gia and the family's still here…" I couldn't help thinking Guy was gonna beat himself up over this. Hitting girls wasn't his thing and Dad would've kicked his ass if he knew… "Hey, you want me to tell Dad?"

 _"PJ! God you wouldn't would you? I didn't mean to-."_

"Exactly, so shut up about it already." I cut him off. "It wasn't your fault but if you keep moping and whining about it I am going to tell Dad and believe me when I say I'll lay it on so thick he will take a belt to your ass, Guy." I knew I could do it, get Dad that angry he literally would pull out the belt not that I though he'd actually hit him with it but the threat, you know…

 _"You really are evil, Phade…"_

"I'm your sister and I love you."

 **««««« »»»»»»**

I was going to do this on my own. It wasn't as if they hadn't been thinking about it because it had to be on all our minds, the possibilities… but what would happen when they found out? If I was the only one- Fred didn't seem the type and Wes- maybe he was too honorable to see the advantages here. Angel. What would he do? He was the Champion for good. Would he…?

I stood outside for a while, just watching them. They looked so normal going about their business. No extra appendages or weird color schemes on their skin… no visible horns on any of the ground floor gumps.

It was still dark when I entered Wolfram and Hart.

"So… can't say I'm surprised."

I didn't reply, I was here and I knew what I wanted. I strode up to Lilah wanting very much to take off her head. Instead…

"I'm here and I have a contract for them."

A slight arching of her brow was the only sign she gave of being surprised.

 _"Always read the fine print…"_

 _"Too bad you're that stupid."_

I wasn't going to be signing anything of theirs; I don't trust them not to screw me over and add something or hide it in the wording. My contract was clear and to the point.

We sat in a large conference room while one of their gumps read through my terms. It didn't take very long, ten minutes and then he was actually trying to deal with me.

I laughed as he started his spiel.

"Listen, I'm not interested in haggling. I wrote the fucking thing and I know what I put in there. If I wanted something else I would have put something else so either they sign or they don't. Get it?" there was a moment of silence before he turned to Lilah.

"It's your call, I'm done here anyway." she replied carelessly.

"Ms. Vartan." The lawyer sighed looking none to pleased before sliding the contract back towards me. He stood up ignoring Lilah as he walked out.

It was a moment before disappointment hit me but I wasn't going to let it show, not when the bitch was sitting right there, ready to gloat-.

"Well, looks like you got what you wanted."

"What?" I looked at her confused wondering at her stupid grin when I noticed the bright red signature at the bottom of the sheet.

"Shit…" I breathed.

They signed it.

They signed it and hadn't even been here to do it.

They just… signed it.

"Guess you want the tour now." Lilah stood up and waited by the conference room doors. I couldn't believe this. I was getting my son and everything else I had asked for.

All of it.

 **««««« »»»»»»**

They were all here. I stood in the shadow of an alcove and watched them go off with their own tour guides. I'd already seen the place and been to my office. I was insistent on it being close to Angel, he's the Champion you know, if they were going to double cross us they'd be going after him first. I'd been reading the evil minions I came in contact with which turned out to be harder than I thought. I kept getting fuzzy pictures or out of sequence events that I didn't see the relevance to.

Finally it was just Angel

"…Just you and me, boss. Come on, Charlie. Let me show you around the chocolate factory."

"Mind if I tag along?" I came up behind him with a little smile. I was nervous to say the least but they had all come, he couldn't be mad at me for being here too?

"Phade?" he looked me over probably looking to see if I had turned evil but all he was going to find was me in my ivory colored business suit. Figured if they were evil lawyers I might as well go for something light and the heels were comfortable. I can run if I have to. "I didn't- ." he began only for Lilah to cut him off.

"Oh, she was the first one here. Didn't bother taking the limo."

I leaned closer to Angel throwing Lilah a scathing glare. "Thought they'd blow it up."

"Oh." Angel answered though I could see a smile tugging on his lips. He probably thought it was funny but I really did think they would have blown it up. We'd be out of their hair if they had…

Lilah showed us to Angel's office all the while blabbing. I was thinking of how to tell him I'd already made a deal because it was clear he still hadn't made up his mind. Maybe the others hadn't either but they were taking the tour. There's no harm in looking, anyone can look…

"What's it gonna do, huh? Drop me in a vat of holy water?"

"I was pushing for that but they went with the motor pool."

"Thank's but I already have a car."

"Uh, Ange-,"

"Now you have twelve."

"What am I going to do with twelve cars?"

I had a good idea of what he could do with them but first I had to do some coming clean.

"Ang-."

"Anything you want. That's the point, or haven't you been listening?

"I have and uh I'm done now."

"An-."

"Wait, I forgot to show you the best part."

Please don't let her blurt out my deal. Please don't let her blurt on my deal! But she didn't blurt, no she opened the freaking curtains and let the sun shine on "Angel!"

I could have made a grab for him, thrown him behind the desk before he had a chance to go 'poof'…

"You're not? Hey you're-."

"I'm not bursting into flames." And he wasn't. For a moment there I was thinking they were going with the killing part. Now more than ever I felt I had to stay close, as to what good I was gonna be? Well, I wouldn't know until I was needed. Wasn't I supposed to be here?

"Make that good bye. I'm not taking the job." Angel snapped and wasn't that just great? Our leader wasn't taking the job and here I had already made a deal.

"…oh, but don't worry. There's always 6000 more just around the corner… or up the coast."

I straightened hearing her mention of the coast. What could they possibly know about the others?

"Lay the blame on some one else hell bitch. We save the one's we can." And was I just talking outta my ass or did we save all the ones we could?

Could we do more?

"Sunnydale." He took the file she handed him removing a gaudy looking necklace. Another magical talisman. Didn't those _ever_ go out of style? Suddenly my pocket started vibrating though I'm proud to say I didn't jump. See, I'm getting used to the tickle…

"Shit." It was Ryan. He was probably going to be a little upset I left him naked and alone without a word as to where I was going. I put the cell to my ear smiling as if he could see me. "Hi honey. You sleep-."

 _"Where the hell are you?"_ he grouched in his most 'I'm not happy' voice. _"I wake up and you're gone and there's no one else around."_

"Yeah, I kinda had to take care of some business-."

 _"Phade, if you-."_

"No!" I looked over my shoulder at Angel who apparently wasn't paying attention to my suddenly raised voice. "No, Ryan. Not _our business,_ business. This is something else and the rest of AI is he-with me. We're all together and as soon as I'm done I'll be home."

 _"Good."_ He grumbled only slightly mollified. Maybe it was the fact I wasn't alone that made him less grumpy or… _"When you get home we have some business to take care of."_

"Yes, sir." I murmured feeling a little heat creep into my cheeks. I hung up catching the tail en of Lilah's comment.

"…took the tour. Dead, not stupid."

"Ha, ha. Bite your tongue on that one?" hadn't she been the one _not_ to read the fine print in her contract?

"What do you know?"

"About where Cordelia and your son are? Not a thing, but you could find out in about 10seconds. All you gotta do is pick up the phone, boss." She took it from its cradle and handed it over. Angel set it back and stood looking down at the dead woman.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you-."

"Not me." Angel spared me a dirty look before excusing us. He was going to leave and here I was still trying to tell him I was staying. Or couldn't I just go back to the Hyperion and pretend like I was still working there while secretly I'd be sneaking off to the law firm to take it down from the inside? Oh God, that was a headache just to think up.

"You sure they wanna go?" Lilah grabbed the ringing phone and answered it. Saved my ass from being discovered at least for the next couple of seconds.

"Angel." I tried not to sound fearful but let's face it I didn't want him coming after me if he thought I was evil. I didn't want him to kill me and I certainly didn't want to kill him….

"Cool! Is that high-def?" Angel asked turning away from me to the TV.

"Dios mio…" I sighed putting both hands over my face. This was not going well…

 **««««« »»»»»»**

I followed Angel to the lobby where the others were already gathered. After the last couple of hours with Angel and dealing with Connor's melt down I was ready to go home. Ryan had called again to say my Dad would be arriving soon with the kids. I was so looking forward to seeing them and spending quality time with Sebastián.

"…Are you saying we should take the deal?"

"I already took it."

"Angel, wha- what?"

"You took the deal?

"Executive decision." Now those were words I was going to hate hearing. If you didn't know Angel was a vampire you'd think he fit into the corporate world quite nicely; he had the clothes and the look for it.

"I didn't think you'd-."

"Know a silver platter when he's handed one? I'm impressed with the lot of you. Team Angel, all growed up."

"Shut up Lilah." I'd been trying to stay back but she just talked way too much, hated the sound of her voice.

"Phade? I didn't see-."

"First one here. Beat your fearless leader to the signature so to speak. Didn't bother waiting for the limo-."

"Shut. Up." I repeated with more force.

"Is it taken care of?" Angel asked her completely ignoring the death glare or the curious looks I was getting from the rest of them. How was I going to explain myself when I still hadn't told Angel I made my own contract? Of course, now that Cordy was found and being taken care of there were other things needing to get taken care of. I knew exactly where I was going not that I would go if he didn't want me to.

"I'll meet you at home." I told them and walked out to my car. I parked it a couple of blocks from the firm, didn't feel comfortable parking in their garage.

 **««««« »»»»»»**

"Mom!" hearing those words made my day. If I had to go battle a horde of tentacly demons that left me covered in slime I wouldn't care, not if I could come home to this.

"Sebastián!" the huge smile on my face only got bigger seeing my Dad sitting in the lobby with the others Hell'sAngel's. Mayahuel was beaming though Temoc looked like he wanted to run away but that could have been because she didn't let go of him. You couldn't blame her for wanting to keep her little brother close. He was all the family she had left.

"So where's everybody, Má?" Bastían tugged on my arm and I couldn't help be surprised at how strong he was. My son was eleven now, almost as tall as I was and that's saying a lot since I'm only 5'2". He was beginning to look like his Father, not something I particularly liked but Sebastián is not Dante. If I have anything to say about it he won't ever be like his Father. He's had two good examples of who a man is with my Dad and now Ryan.

"Papí!" I grabbed my Dad practically falling on him as I gave him a bear hug being careful not to break his fragile old bones. "Oh, I've missed you."

"Barbera." He retorted though he had the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. "Se puede saber que fregados andabas haciendo?" he grumbled.

"Huh, what'd I do now?" I asked turning to Ryan.

"The hotel. Busted wall…"

"Oh! Papí, it wasn't my fault. I…" I didn't know what else to say. Quick, think of a lie, think of something but my stupid brain is blank! Blank, blank, blank!

"It's yours!" I blurted remembering the contract in my purse.

"His? What's his?" Ryan questioned half frowning. Maybe he thought I was bluffing so I wouldn't get my ass chewed out for busting some walls.

"Yeah, umm see I sorta got a new job. We all did." I put in quickly seeing their looks. "And I got the Hotel, well, I bought it sort of." Oh I wasn't making sense I could tell. "Look, the important thing is you," and I dropped a kiss on Sebastián's lips which he quickly wiped away. I could remember when he used to grab my hair and pull on me until I did give him a kiss… "Don't have to go anywhere anymore. You're all mine again."

"Really?" his face lit up with hope and at my grin he let out a whoop of joy he almost knocked me off the side of the chair I was sitting on.

"I have the documents in my purse. There's nothing he can do legally." I told my Dad and Ryan who both let out sighs of relief. This next part was going to throw them for a loop. "I made you both his guardians if something ever comes up and I can't be here…"

"Que? A donde vas?" my Dad questioned in a hard voice. He wasn't going to like my answer but neither would Mayahuel.

"Sunnydale. Tenemos que terminar lo que empesamos. Angel will drop us off..."

That set the mood for the rest of my visit even when I told them the Garzés kids would now be legal citizens and completely my Dad's responsibility.

"Yo que?" my Dad asked with wide eyes.

"Well, they asked me who was going to sponsor them and I figured it would be easier if you did it considering you're going to be their guardian as well. Andele, Papí. Que le cuesta?" I begged using my best Daddy's girl eyes and voice.

"Cool!" Bastían grinned. "Now we really are family. I get a brother."

"Ya ve, Sebastián esta contento."

He gave in eventually though I know he was just pretending. You can't have the kids thinking Gramps is a pushover and then we went and looked for a suite they could all call home.

The Winchester suite. It was across the hall with two large bedrooms and a kitchenette. There was only one bathroom but since it would only be the kids and my Dad… well, they'd just have to be quick. Dom, Oded and Tripp volunteered to take them furniture hunting while I sat down with Ryan and my Dad. I had to tell them what I had done and was going to be doing just as soon as I got back from Sunnydale.

"I don't get why you can't just let them take care of it." Ryan stated once more. He was having a hard time getting it through his thick head that I was going whether he liked it or not. I signed a paper, not like I signed my life away…

"Because I'm not leaving Mayahuel alone. Those kids are the last of their family and that preacher is going to want to kill her. I'm not handing her over without a fight." And I had this weird feeling the Caleb wasn't going to fight with me. He wasn't one of them exactly, one of the powers but he knew something… something about them and about me.

I wondered if he could see me…


End file.
